Sport

Sean McComb defeats world number one to lay down a marker

Brendan Irvine also advances to last eight at European Championships in Kharkiv

Sean McComb: “It was a tough and tricky fight having boxed each other just a few months ago, but I listened to Zaur in the corner. He had a plan and it worked very well.”

Mon Jun 19 2017 - 21:00

Irish light-welter Sean McComb is putting his trust in Irish head coach Zaur Antia after sensationally doing the double over Russia’s World Elite light-welter champion Vitaly Dunaystev at the European Championships in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Monday.

The split decision win qualifies McComb for the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany in August/September and the World light-welter title is now vacant as Kharkiv is the sole qualifier for Hamburg and Kazakhstan-born Dunaystev is out.

Rio Olympian Brendan Irvine also qualified for Hamburg on Monday after earning a unanimous decision over Turkey's Bathuhan Citfci to set up Tuesday's flyweight quarter-final with Spain's Gabriel Escobar.

But Tipperary super-heavy Dean Gardiner was TKO'd by Ukrainian super-heavy Viktor Vykhryst of the Ukraine in the second round after being felled by a massive left hook.

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McComb beat Kazakhstan-born Dunaystev, the world number one, on a split decision at Dublin’s National Stadium in April amid mumblings of “home town decision”.

But the Belfast light-welter did it again yesterday and it was apparent, as it was in Dublin, that the world champion was struggling against McComb’s tempo, footwork and slick counter-punching in the last-16 battle of the southpaws

The top eight boxers in each weight division in Kharkiv qualify for Hamburg and McComb will now meet England’s Pat McCormack in the quarter-finals on Wednesday with a bronze medal up for grabs.

He said: “It was a tough and tricky fight having boxed each other just a few months ago, but I listened to Zaur in the corner. He had a plan and it worked very well. I haven’t got a chance to watch him (McCormack) out here much.

“What I do know is he’s got as far so he must be doing something right, I will leave the plan to Zaur again and the rest of the team because I have trust in that.”

Joe Ward, the current European light-heavy champion, Darren O'Neill, Emmet Brennan and Kurt Walker are in last 16 action in Kharkiv on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former Irish head coach Billy Walsh, now chief seconds with USA Boxing, helped steer the USA to 14 medals - two of which were gold - and six World places at the Americas' Men's and Women's Championships in Honduras over the weekend.

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