Barnes and Donovan claim semi-final spots in Moscow

noelyf

VIP Member
0003616b10dr.jpg


Eric Donovan after his impressive victory in the quarter-final

Wednesday, 9 June 2010


Paddy Barnes and Eric Donovan have become the latest Irish boxers to secure bronze medals at the very least at the European Championships in Moscow.


Both men scored comprehensive victories in their quarter-final bouts, Barnes winning 8-1 without ever being troubled by England's Tommy Stubbs and Donovan scoring a 10-4 verdict over Hungary's Miklas Vargas.


Barnes and Donovan join team captain Ken Egan, Darren O'Neill and Tyrone McCullagh - all of whom will now win bronze medals, at the very least - in the semi-finals.



Speaking after the fight, Ireland coach Billy Walsh dedicated the team's success to the memory of Darren Sutherland, the Olympic medal winning Irish boxer who died tragically in September last year.
He added: 'This is a record-breaking day for Irish boxing.'


An extraordinary week in Irish boxing sees the team currently on top of the medals table.


It has been 19 years since Ireland won gold at the European Championships and 12 years since a silver was secured.



But Walsh is convinced that there is more to come from his team.



Asked if Ireland's famous five now upgrade their medals to silver or gold, the Irish coach replied: 'Why not? We've proved the Irish can beat anybody.'


Barnes secured his medal, along with a place in the semi-final and the possibility of a chance to fight for gold, with a near flawless defensive performance.


The Belfast man controlled the fight from the bell, defending calmly and picking off his opponent with powerful and precise shots.


He claimed a 3-0 lead in the first round and consolidated that in the second by picking off another point to be 4-0 up and in total control after two rounds.


Stubbs changed tack in the third, aiming his shots at the body and keeping up a frenetic work-rate for the first half of the round. But the Englishman's work was of inferior quality and it deteriorated as the round wore on. Barnes was once again easily able to pick him off at will.


The Holy Family clubman finished in style, landing some quality shots in the final round, although Stubbs finally scored a point with 20 seconds to go.


Barnes will now have the chance to add gold or silver to the bronze medal he won at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.


Donovan also secured his semi-final spot with an impressive display, catching his Hungarian opponent with a series of impressive straight lefts and taking the verdict by 10-4.


The St Michael's Athy boxer went into the lead with two such shots in the second half of the first round and despite taking a standing count when caught by a right uppercut in the closing seconds, he finished the round 4-1 ahead.


Donovan continued to catch his shorter opponent in rounds two and three, exploiting his reach advantage and bringing his right hand into play as well, as he became increasingly confident.



A fine left in the final round emphasised his superiority and though Varga landed three more shots, the Irishman took the verdict comfortably in the end.


The third Irish fighter to box in Wednesday's quarter-finals was John Joe Nevin and he was ultimately well beaten in his bid to reach a semi-final, losing 7-1 to Gamal Yafai, of England.
 
Back
Top