Record-equalling day for Ireland at European Schoolboys Championships
It was a medal-filled day for Ireland today in Romania at the European Schoolboys Championships as the boys in green bagged a total of 10 guaranteed bronze medals.
17 fighters were in action, with 10 winners and a couple of very near misses.
In the past Ireland had grabbed ten medals in he 2012 and 2013 tournaments, and matched that return today in Valcea
The day got off to a rocky start as Michael Donoghue of Athy was edged out in a southpaw battle with Bulgarian Radoslav Rosenov, a result the Irish 38.5kg boxer disagreed with.
The first medal was bagged though soon after, with Mullingar 41.5kg Jake Charles steamrolling Slovenian Jure Zgajner, forcing a count in the first and two in the second to have the bout waved off.
Charles, who scored his second successive stoppage at the tournament, takes on Bulgarian Krasimir Dzhurov in Monday’s semi finals as he looks to upgrade to silver.
Galway 46kg southpaw Patrick Sweeney used his dynamite left to good effect to outpoint Ukrainian Vladyslav Vaskovskyi in a high quality bout to claim the second bronze of the day.
The Olympic BC fighter will now box Bulgarian Daniel Kirilov for silver on Monday
At 48kg, Shamie McDonagh went to war with Russian southpaw Aleksandr Zyrianov but was defeated after three exciting rounds.
Ballymun 52kg Cain Lewis then bagged Ireland’s third bronze of the day with a comfortable win over Poland’s Lukasz Perkowski, but James Whelan was unlucky to lose to Bulgarian Kosta Simeonov on a split.
Lewis will fight Armenian Gor Mkhitaryan for silver on Monday.
After receiving a bye to the quarters, Brosna’s John Ward opened his account and claimed bronze with a smart win over rugged Pole Szyman Szyma to tick the medal counter up to four.
Another to receive a bye, Edenderry’s Darragh Farrell then bowed out to impressive Croatian Borna Loncaric to leave Ireland with 4 wins and 4 losses at the end of the first session.
Starting off the second session after receiving a bye, switch-hitter Brooklyn Saunders boxed beautifully against aggressive German Yaslin Farrell to guarantee 40kg bronze.
The Dubliner will now face England’s Tommy Cole in the semis on Monday.
In one of the fights of the day, Cory Dunbar Byrne was edged out on a split decision in the 43kg quarters. The Wexford southpaw was adjudged to have been beaten by Turk Abdullah Karpuz, a decision which infuriated the Irish coaches.
It would be the Turkish coaches fuming soon after though, as Cahir Gormley claimed a cagey unanimous decision win over Ibrahim Otcu at 44.5kg
Derry’s Gormley now faces Russian Ivan Kobzev in the last four
Patrick Donovan made it an Olympic BC double v Ukraine, as he claimed a bruising split decision win over Yunie Guliiev. The Galway southpaw made a strong start and withstood a final round charge from the Ukrainian to seal a deserved win.
In the 50kg semi finals on Monday Donovan takes on Bulgarian Anton Kirilov.
Up at 59kg, Ballyhaunis’s Eoghan Lavin came out on top in a scrappy affair with Belarussian Daniil Tsistko to secure an eighth medal of the day.
The Mayo teen now faces Turkish fighter Guclu Burakcan for silver on Monday.
Kerry’s Aaron McElligott was up next at 65kg and was involved in a back-and-forth battle with Yahor Simakou – with the bigger Belarussian winning out in the end
There was joy for another Kerry boxer though as Sean Walsh scored a stunning knockout inside ten seconds. The Trojan fighter knocked down Croatian Alam Kudic after seven seconds (by our count). The referee gave a count before waving the bout off and handing Ireland their ninth medal of the day.
Walsh will fight England’s Jordan Parr, who also won today by knockout, in the semi finals on Monday.
The brilliant evening continued as Bay City big man Jordan Ward slugged his way to victory over 80kg Ukrainian Arten Buiru to hit double figures in the medal count.
The Dubliner will box Croatian Andriha Badza in the semis on Monday.
Crumlin’s Thomas McDonnell was last up in the 90kg class, facing aggressive Armenian Hovha Papazyan. The Dubliner was countering well, but got caught in the third with a shot that forced a count, and the Eastern European would subsequently win on the cards.
European Schoolboys Championships 2017, Valcea, Romania July 17th/26th
July 18th (Last 16)
65kg Aaron McElligott (Ireland) beat Samuel Florin-Cimpoesu (Romania) 5-0
July 19th (Last 16)
46kg Patrick Sweeney (Ireland) beat Einoras Sinkevicus (Lithuania) TKO2
48kg Shamie McDonagh (Ireland) beat Beka Tserediani (Georgia) 5-0
56kg James Whelan (Ireland) beat Barga Entika (Hungary) 5-0
62kg Danny McHugh (Ireland) lost to Marcus Ellis (England) 2-3
July 20th (Last 16)
38.5kg: Michael Donoghue (Ireland) beat Jack Dryden (England) 4-1
41.5kg Jake Charles (Ireland) beat Vadim Ystonov (Moldova) TKO3
50kg Patrick Donovan (Ireland) beat Pavle Bozovic (Montenegro) 5-0
52kg Cain Lewis (Ireland) beat Jure Bratovich (Croatia) TKO1
July 21st (Last 16)
44.5kg Cahir Gormley (Ireland) beat Gabriel Paynarov (Bulgaria) 5-0
54kg Sean Roche (Ireland) lost to Ersun Goktur (Turkey) 1-4
59kg Eoghan Lavin (Ireland) beat Kamil Urbaniak (Poland) 5-0
July 22nd (Q/Finals)
38.5kg: Michael Donoghue (Ireland) lost to Radoslav Rosenov (Bulgaria) 0-5
40kg Brooklyn Saunders (Ireland) beat Yaslin Farell (Germany) 5-0
41.5kg Jake Charles (Ireland) beat Jure Zgajner (Slovenia) TKO2
43kg Cory Byrne-Dunbar (Ireland) lost to Abdullah Karpuz (Turkey) 2-3
44.5kg Cahir Gormley (Ireland) beat Ibrahim Otcu (Turkey) 5-0
46kg Patrick Sweeney (Ireland) beat Vladyslv Vaskovskyi (Ukraine) 5-0
48kg Shamie McDonagh (Ireland) lost to Aleksandr Zyrianov (Russia) 0-5
50kg Patrick Donovan (Ireland) beat Yunis Guliiev (Ukraine) 4-1
52kg Cain Lewis (Ireland) beat Lukasz Perkowski (Poland) 5-0
56kg James Whelan (Ireland) lost to Kosta Simeonov (Bulgaria) 2-3
59kg Eoghan Lavin (Ireland) beat Daniil Tsitsko (Belarus) 5-0
65kg Aaron McElligott (Ireland) lost to Yahor Simakou (Belarus) 0-5
68kg John Ward (Ireland) beat Szyman Szyma (Poland) 5-0
72kg Sean Walsh (Ireland) beat Alam Kudic (Croatia) TKO1
76kg Darragh Farrell (Ireland) beat Borna Loncaric (Croatia) 0-5
80kg Jordan Ward (Ireland) beat Arten Buiru (Ukraine) 3-2
90kg Thomas McDonnell (Ireland) lost to Hovhan Papazyan (Armenia) 0-5
July 24th (S/Finals)
40kg Brooklyn Saunders (Ireland) v Tommy Cole (England)
41.5kg Jake Charles (Ireland) v Krasimir Dzhurov (Bulgaria)
44.5kg Cahir Gormley (Ireland) v Ivan Kobzev (Russia)
46kg Patrick Sweeney (Ireland) v Daniel Kirilov (Bulgaria)
50kg Patrick Donovan (Ireland) v Anton Kirilov (Bulgaria)
52kg Cain Lewis (Ireland) v Gor Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
59kg Eoghan Lavin (Ireland) v Guclu Burakcan (Turkey)
68kg John Ward (Ireland) v Antonio Grabic (Croatia)
72kg Sean Walsh (Ireland) v Jordan Parr (England)
80kg Jordan Ward (Ireland) v Andriha Badza (Croatia)
Irish squad
38.5kg Michael Donoghue (St Michaels Athy)
40kg Brooklyn Saunders (Ballybough) (Bronze, at least)
41.5kg Jake Charles (Mullingar Elite) (Bronze, at least)
43kg Cory Byrne-Dunbar (St Aidans)
44.5kg Cahir Gormley (Maydown Olympic) (Bronze, at least)
46kg Patrick Sweeney (Olympic) (Bronze, at least)
48kg Shamie McDonagh (St Pauls Wat)
50kg Patrick Donovan (Olympic) (Bronze, at least)
52kg Cain Lewis (Ballymun) (Bronze, at least)
54kg Sean Roche (Donore)
56kg James Whelan (Dublin Docklands)
59kg Eoghan Lavin (Ballyhaunis) (Bronze, at least)
62kg Danny McHugh (Two Castles)
65kg Aaron McElligott (Cashen Vale)
68kg John Ward (Brosna) (Bronze, at least)
72kg Sean Walsh (Trojan) (Bronze, at least)
76kg Darragh Farrell (St Josephs Edenderry)
80kg Jordan Ward (Bay City) (Bronze, at least)
90kg Thomas McDonnell (Crumlin)
