How To Watch Kurt Walker’s Olympic opener – What time?

Irish fight fans have a wake-up or stay-up dilemma as Ireland’s Tokyo 2021 campaign gets underway in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Kurt Walker is first in the ring for the seven-strong team.

The decorated Lisburn stylist, who qualified due to his world rankings, starts in the Round of 32 against Spaniard Jose Quiles Brotons, a bronze medallist at the 2017 Euros.

Defeat the talented Spaniard and one Ireland’s most consistent sport stars in recent years faces a formidable challenge in the form of Uzbekistan’s gold medal favourite and reigning world champion Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov. However, speaking to Irish-boxing.com before the Games Walker said: “I believe on my day I can beat anyone so I’m really looking forward to them.”

The Canal BC fighter is expected to make his Olympic debut and grace the Kokugikan Arena at 4:03am on Saturday morning.

You can watch the fight on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

The remainder of the draw is as follows:

July 25th

Last 32
81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) v Dilshod Ruzmetov (Uzbekistan)

July 26th
Last 32

52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) v Carlo Paalm (Philippines)

Last 16
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Irma Testa (Italy) or Lludmila Voronstova (ROC)

JUly 27th
Last 16

69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) v Albert Menque (Cameroon) or Thabiso Dlanini (Swz)

JUly 28th

75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) v Li Qian (China)

July 30th
Last 16

60hk Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Rebecca Nicoli (Italy) or Esmerelda Falcon (Mexico)