Four Irish boxers going for gold in Minsk

It was a semi-final day in Minsk that for coach Billy Walsh and Ireland just kept giving. The Irish boxing team again surpassed even their own heightened levels of expectation to move into unprecedented territory with four boxers earning a place in today’s European finals. Ireland is now certain of a minimum of four silver medals.

In 2011, Joe Ward and Ray Moylette returned with winners’ medals and in the same year, Katie Taylor also won gold, her fifth. But never before has Ireland had four male boxers in the final of a European Championships, one of them a precocious Jason Quigley in his first venture into senior international competition.

Few gave Donegal's 22-year-old European Youth Champion much hope of pushing past Ievgen Khytrov, the 2011 world champion, who was just two years older but vastly more experienced.

Single-mindedly
From the bell the Ukrainian single-mindedly marched towards Quigley and could so easily have pressurised the Irish middleweight into mistakes. But belying his inexperience, Quigley kept moving and jabbing, his opponent busily trying to close the ring.

In the first round the judges were split but Quigley clearly won the second as he cleverly countered. He kept moving and throwing and although he was caught on the ropes a couple of times, there was a confident and steely defiance in the Irish performance.

Quigley used his space but never ran and did just enough to inch out the disbelieving world champion, winning on a unanimous decision 3-0 (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

“You know you have to pull it out of the bag. That there was the best performance of my life,” said Quigley. “I’m being honest; that was an easier fight than the German (Stefan Haertel) because there was so much pressure against the German. The fact of getting a medal out here would have been my third European medal (two at underage level). I’m absolutely buzzing.”

Quigley, who faces Romanian Bogdan Juratoni in the final, was third of the Irish fighters in the ring yesterday morning but no less impressive than Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan, all of whom lived up to their reputations.

Barnes was typically busy and aggressive. His forward style and ability to throw fast, accurate shots decorated all three rounds against the third seed Salman Alizada.

Barnes now meets the Russian top seed David Ayrapetyan, who defeated England’s Jack Bateson 3-0 (10-9, 19-8, 10-8). One minor concern going into the final today is the doctor was summoned to Barnes corner to treat a heavily bleeding nose.

“It was bleeding heavily but not as heavily as it was against the Hungarian, thankfully,” said Barnes. “It required a lot of work from the doctor in the corner to stop it bleeding.

“I was gobsmacked to see him (Alizada) ranked ahead of me in the world rankings. He was a current champion but that’s because I wasn’t there (injured). Still, it’s great to get a win against a European champion.”

Bantamweight Nevin choreographed his normal elusive dance against Vladimir Nikitin, picking off the Russian at will and although he had a torrid final round against his aggressive opponent, he came through 3-0 to set up today’s bout with Ukraine’s Mykolo Butsenko.

“I had to start quick get the first two under my belt. I think he got the last round,” said Nevin. “He was piling on the pressure, alright. I knew once I won the first two he was going to come out like a roaring lion looking for a stoppage.

“Again I started fast and that was the aim. Any Russian boxer is not to be sneezed at. They are all good boxers.”

Stylish Conlan also controlled his fight against Russia’s Ovik Ogannisian and switching from southpaw to orthodox and back again, won on a split decision. The flyweight dropped the second round but easily earned enough for 2-1 after a scrappy third stanza to round off one of the most successful days in Irish boxing

Conlan meets Wales’ Andrew Selby today. The Welsh man beat Conlan 25-24 under the old scoring system at the 2011 World Championships quarter-finals in Baku. Nothing between them and maybe a score to settle too.