DAMAEN KELLY expressed himself as happy after the draw for the Olympic boxing championships appeared to give him a relatively straight forward passage to the quarter finals of the flyweight division.
Kelly, Ireland's brightest hope to follow in the footsteps of Michael Carruth, will meet a Bulgarian, Julian Strongov, in his opening bout, late on Tuesday afternoon.
If he survives that, he is on course for a meeting with Carmine Molaro, a 21 year old Italian, and the consensus in the Irish camp is that he can win both contests.
That optimism would appear to be based on solid foundations for, in the last six months, the Belfastman has beaten both men. In January, he out pointed Strongov and then in January, he dismissed the Italian in summary fashion in a European qualifier for the Olympics.
To cheer him still more, there was the revelation that three of the strongest contenders for the title, those from Cuba, the United States and Russia, are in the other half of the draw.
"Which ever way you look at it, we have to be pleased," said the Irish manager, Mickey Hawkins. "Just because you've beaten an opponent once, doesn't necessarily mean you'll do it again but those recent wins still give Damaen the edge going into the competition.
If the three other Irishmen involved in yesterday's weigh in, and draw, were not quite so fortunate, there were no immediate signs of panic.
Francis Barrett will meet a Brazilian, Zehy Ferreira, in the opening series of bouts in the light welter class on Wednesday when the prize for the winner will be a meeting with either an Austrian or a Tunisian opponent.
Little is known about Ferreira's form but Hawkins struck a defiant note when he said. "No Irish boxer has lost to a Brazilian in the last 20 years and we certainly don't intend to start now."
For Belfast middleweight, Brian Magee, there is the challenge of removing the big hitting Canadian, Randolph Thompson if he is to qualify for the second round.
In this instance, there is a direct line to form for Thompson narrowly out pointed another Ulster boxer, John Webb in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and, in Hawkins's opinion, he is now entitled to some respect.
If Kelly emerged on the easiest path, the opposite applies to Cathal O'Grady, the 20 year old Kildare heavyweight. He faces a formidable first round meeting with the New Zealander, Garth da Silva, tomorrow and if he comes through that, he could be headed for a return meeting with Sergei Dychkov of Belarus who beat him in the European qualifying tournament.
