DAMAEN KELLY will take a damaged eye and mountainous hope into today's meeting with the World fly-weight champion, Bulat Dzumadilov of Kazikstan, in the Olympic boxing arena in Atlanta (1.0 am Irish time)

Kelly, currently the most successful Irishman in amateur boxing, sustained the injury in his first series win over the Bulgarian Julian Strogov, but protected it sufficiently well to dismiss Hussein Hussein in his next assignment.

Fortunately, a cut just above the eyelid did not reopen until the closing stages of the fight and now he is hoping that he can again keep his head out of range of Dzumadilov's more damaging punching.

"It's a risk when you go into a fight with an injury like this, but at this point we have no option but to go with it," said Mickey Hawkins.

"The injury is still tender, but I prefer not to think of it. It is better to be positive and plan on the basis that Damaen will be good enough and quick enough to dictate the scoring."

Dzitmadilov is no stranger to the Irishman and when they met in Sweden in January, he emerged with a three-point win over Kelly. On that occasion, however, Kelly was just returning after a hand injury and with his preparation interrupted, was below his best.

"This is my Olympic final," said Kelly yesterday. "This is the hardest fight I will have even if I go on to win the title," he said. "Dzumadilov is a great boxer, with good hands and the ability to ride a punch. But in Sweden I could never get him under any real pressure and that's something I must rectify now.

"I need to be the governor early. That's important when it comes to tactics. If I can get him into a position in which he has to chase me, then I am confident that my footwork and counter-punching will see me through."

On his way to a place in the last eight Dzumadilov beat the Israeli Vladislav Neyman 18-7 in his first bout and was in even greater control when recording a 21-4 win over the Ukrainian Sergei Kovganko.

In neither instance, however, was the opposition up to Kelly's standard and while the odds are against him, the Belfast fighter believes that he can win.

That optimism is shared, perhaps predictably, by Hawkins, who describes Kelly as being in the best condition of his career.

"I think it's going to be a great bout. perhaps one of the best in the championships so far. between two lads who really know what they are about." be said.

"It will be one of those occasions in which every point will have to be got the hard way, but without selling the opposition short, I reckon that Damaen can win it and go to the semi-finals."