Sheahan ruled out of box-off

03 April 2008 – by Mark Doyle

Roy Sheahan has had to admit defeat in his desperate bid to prove his fitness for a proposed box-off for the final qualifying event for the Olympics, ending his hopes of competing in Beijing.

The Donegalman claimed the Irish welterweight title at the National Senior Championships in January, earning him a berth in the year’s first Olympic qualifier tournament, which was staged in Italy, in February.

However, he suffered a fractured hand in training on the eve of the event. There were hopes that he could still be fit for the second and final qualifying tournament of the year, which gets underway in Athens next week, but it was decreed that Sheahan would have to take on Willie McLoughlin in a box-off to earn a spot on the team.

And, sadly, it was confirmed on Wednesday that Sheahan has not yet fully recovered from his injury and his Olympic dream is now over.