Kurt Walker has the tools to upset reigning world champion assures Eric Donovan
Kurt Walker has the style to frustrate and defeat hot favourite Mirazizbek Mirzahailov in Tokyo tomorrow morning, according to Eric Donovan.
The Canal BC fighter’s reward for passing a difficult opening test and beating European medal winner Jose Brotons of Spain was a fight with the gold medal favourite.
The talented 26-year-old featherweight isn’t concerned and has suggested the Uzbek should be worried about him.
Having done his homework the boxing brain that is Eric Donovan has come up with a similar answer.
The RTE pundit, who has an EU pro title fight in the pipeline, admits Mirzakhalilov is a talent and a talent that has been busy, but doesn’t feel it’s as daunting a task as it’s being made out.
Donovan believes Walker has the kind of style the reigning world champion isn’t too fond and suggests he could be ideally equipped to upset the odds to move to within one win of an Olympic medal.
“Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan, the reigning world champion, has had 16 fights in the last two years, compared to Kurt Walker’s four fights,” the RTÉ analyst said.
“He’s been so, so busy. But his last fight he lost to a Mongolian in the Asian Championships.
“I watched that performance to have a look and the Mongolian fighter fought him on the inside and was moving well on the outside, and had better counterpunching skills.
“That’s what Kurt Walker does and he does it brilliantly.”
It’s was always @ericdonovanbox’s destiny to shine at an Olympics. It never quite fell right for him to do it in the ring but he’s taking his chance now! https://t.co/Bax1sEXhaY
— Ger McNally (@GerMc31) July 25, 2021
Walker faces the gold medal favourite at 4:30am on Wednesday morning. Aoife O’Rourke is also in action tomorrow, the Castlerea fighter starts against China’s Li Qian, a bronze medallist at Rio, the 2018 World Champion, and 2019 Asian champion.
