World Championship draw
IABA Press Officer Bernard O’Neill
Belfast’s Michael Conlon will open Ireland’s campaign at the 2011 AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers with a last-64 clash with Moldovan Alexandr Riscan on Tuesday.
Both flyweights sparred with each other at Ireland’s recent training camp in Cologne and are no strangers to each other say Irish head coach Billy Walsh.
Joe Ward, Ken Egan, John Joe Nevin and Paddy Barnes all received byes from today’s draw in Baku.
Barnes, who was the first Irish boxer to qualify for the 2008 Olympics – where he won bronze – from the 2007 AIBA World Championships in Chicago, will meet either Mark Barriga (Philippines) or Stefan Caslarov (Romania) in the last 32.
If he advances from that then he could face Zou Shiming in a repeat of the 2008 Olympic semi-final – which the Chinese light-flyweight won – for a place at the London Olympics.
Meanwhile, European light-welterweight champion Ray Moylette will open his campaign versus Arturs Ahmetous of Latvia.
Kilkenny middleweight Darren O’Neill will need no introduction to Glodi Eneste of Norway, an opponent he beat 13-2 in the 2009 EU final in Denmark.
Ken Egan, meantime, will clash with either Jose Larduet of Cuba or Lubas Velecky of the Czech Republic in the heavyweight class on October 3rd.
European light-heavyweight champ Joe Ward awaits the winner of the last-64 duel between Dmitrov Stoimen (Bulgaria) and Abdurakhmonov Dilovasnoi (Tajikistan).
The St Michael’s Athy pair of David Oliver Joyce and Roy Sheehan will face Mohammad Momevad of Iran and Carl Hield of the Bahamas.
Tipperary super-heavyweight Con Sheehan meets Faruth Kalonov (Tajikstan) and John Joe Nevin, a bronze medal winner at the 2009 World Championships in Milan, awaits the winner of the bantamweight
contest between Filip Barak (Slovakia) or Akhil Kumar (India).
Boxing begins on Monday morning at the 2011 AIBA World Championships which is acting as the first major qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympics.
Ward (2), Nevin (4th), Moylette (4th), Egan (6th) Joyce (7th), O’Neill (8th) and Barnes (8th) were all seeded in today’s draw.
2011 AIBA World Men’s Championshipos Baku, Azerbaijan
September 27th
52Kg: (last 64) Michael Conlon (St John Bosco) v Alexandr Riscan (Moldova)
September 29th
69Kg: (last 64) Roy Sheehan (St Michael’s Athy) v Carl Hield (Bahamas)
September 30th
64Kg: (last 64) Ray Moylette (St Anne’s) v Arturs Ahmetous (Latvia)
October 1st
75Kg: (last 64) Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) v Glodi Eneste (Norway)
60Kg: (last 64) David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy) v Mohammad Momevad (Iran)
October 2nd
81Kg: (last 32) Joe Ward (Moate) v Dmitrov Stoimen (Bulgaria) or Abdurakhmonov Dilovasnoi (Tajikistan)
91+Kg: (last 32) Con Sheehan (Clonmel) v Faruth Kalonov (Tajikstan)
October 3rd
49Kg: (last 32) Paddy Barnes (Holy Family) v Mark Barriga (Philippines) or Stefan Caslarov (Romania)
56Kg: (last 32) John Joe Nevin (Cavan) v Filip Barak (Slovakia) or Akhil Kumar (India)
91Kg: (last 32) Ken Egan ( Neilstown) v Jose Larduet (Cuba) or Lubas Velecky (Czech Rep)
