BOXING:IRELAND'S boxers will be taking home at least two silver medals from Moscow following semi-final wins for Darren O'Neill and Paddy Barnes at the 2010 European Senior Championships yesterday.
However, while O’Neill and Barnes have today’s finals to look forward too, Ken Egan, Eric Donovan and Tyrone McCullagh had to settle for bronze following last four reversals at the Ice Palace in the Russian capital yesterday.
Egan was 7-2 up at one stage of the first round of his 81kg semi-final with Abedelkader Bouhenia of France but lost 11-9 in a repeat of the 2009 AIBA World Championships quarter-final, which Bouhenia also won.
Kilkenny southpaw O’Neill produced a performance oozing with class and counter-punching composure to score two points in every round en route to a 6-0 decision over Bulgaria’s Mladen Manev.
The former Kilkenny minor hurler will face Arten Chebotarev of Russia is his own backyard today and reckons he’s right in there with a chance.
“It’s going to be hard getting a decision against a Russian in Russia, as we’ve seen in the earlier fights, but I’m always in with a chance.”
Barnes, meantime, set up today’s light-flyweight final with Elvin Mamishzade of Azerbaijan after earning a 6-3 verdict over Jose de la Nieve Linares, Spain’s only boxer at the 2008 Olympics.
Defences dominated a scoreless first round, but Barnes began to find his range and timing in the second, opening up a 4-1 lead, although he was tagged with a left in the closing seconds.
However, another two points, one from a neat right mid way through the stanza, sealed the victory.
McCullagh lost out 10-3 to England’s Iain Weaver in the 57kg class. The bout was tied at 3-3 at one stage in the third round but but the Englishman scored with seven shots in the final two minutes to book his final ticket.
Donovan, from the St Michael’s Athy, was beaten 8-2 by 2007 AIBA World senior featherweight champion, Albert Selimov of Russia, who has since moved up to lightweight.
Barnes will be first into the ring in todays finals which are due to begin at 1pm (Irish time).
Eleven finals will be decided from light-flyweight to super-heavyweight.
