BOXING: Four Gold and Two Silver for Irish at EU Boxing Championships
Darren Sutherland and Irish captain Ken Egan did the double over England to take Irelands medal haul from the 2008 European Union Championships which concluded in Cetniewo Poland this afternoon to an incredible four gold and two silver medals.
Sutherland, of the St Saviours club in Dublin, beat English middleweight James DeGale 22-16 in a repeat of the 2007 European Union final which Sutherland also won.
And Egan, who has yet to be beaten in Irish competition this century having won eight senior titles in a row boxing out of the Neilstown club in Dublin, had his hand raised in victory after English light heavyweight Tony Jeffries retired in round three. Egan was 14-7 up.
Sutherland and Egan,who has now won three European Union Championships gold medals, have qualified for the 2008 Olympics and could meet DeGale and Jeffries, who have also qualified for the Olympics, in Beijing next August.
Meantime, 19 year old Tipperary heavyweight Con Sheehan had to settle for silver after he was beaten by Greek 2004 Olympian Ilias Pavlidis in the final bout of the tournament this evening.
Sheehan was two points ahead at the end of the second against the Greek who turned it around in the final two frames.
John Joe Nevin and David Oliver Joyce got Ireland's gold rush underway earlier today.
Nevin, from the Cavan Boxing Club, finished on top of the podium following a thrilling 10-6 win over Polish bantamweight Mazik Mateusz.
And Joyce, of the St Michael's Athy club, made it two gold medals wins for Ireland after Croatian featherweight Mirsad Ahmeti retired in round three.
Joyce, who has been on fire at these Championships, was 23-7 up when the bout was halted.
However, there was disappointment for light flyweight Paddy Barnes after he was beaten 25-11 by ex European champion and three times Hungarian Olympian Pal Bedak.
Egan, Sutherland, Nevin and Barnes have qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing along with John Joe Joyce.
Today's medal wins surpasses the 2007 European Union Championships medal haul at the National Stadium in Dublin where Ireland won three gold and two silver medals.
Egan, Sutherland and Roy Sheahan, who is out injured, won gold in 2007 with Carl Frampton and Cathal McMonagle claiming silver.
England, who received a walkover in today's super heavyweight final, won four gold and three silver medals in Poland.
English World lightweight champion, Frankie Gavin, whose parents are from Dublin and Tipperary, was presented with the boxer of the tournament award in Cetniewo.
6th European Union Championships Cetniewo, Poland
June 21st Finals Results
48Kg: (Light flyweight) Paddy Barnes (Ireland) lost to Pal Bedak (Hungary) 11-25
54Kg: (Bantamweight) John Joe Nevin (Ireland) beat Mazik Mateusz (Poland) 10-4
57Kg: (Featherweight)David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Mirsad Ahmeti (Croatia) RET3
75Kg: (Middleweight) Darren Sutherland (Ireland) beat James DeGale (England) 22-16
81Kg: (Light heavyweight) Ken Egan (Ireland) beat Tony Jeffries (England) RET3
91Kg: (Heavyweight) Con Sheehan (Ireland) lost to Ilias Pavlidis (Greece) 9-14
(RET = Retired)
June 19th (Semi Finals)
54Kg: John Joe Nevin (Ireland) beat Rafael Puyol (Spain) 25-14
81Kg: Ken Egan (Ireland) beat Caner Sayak (Turkey) 27-9
57Kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Hicham Ziouti (France) 16-10
75Kg: Darren Sutherland (Ireland) beat Stefan Haertel (Germany) 20-9
91Kg: Con Sheehan (Ireland) beat Vahagn Sahakyn (Germany 10-7
June 18th (Quarter Finals)
57Kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Valentin Stoychev (Bulgaria) RET3
60Kg: Eric Donovan (Ireland) lost to Artur Schmidt (Germany) 8-23
75Kg: Darren Sutherland (Ireland) beat Samy Anouche (France) 28-12
91Kg: Con Sheehan (Ireland) beat Stephen Simmons (Scotland) 15-6
June 17th (Quarter Finals)
51Kg: Jamie Conlon (Ireland) lost to Asloun Redouane (France) 15-21
54Kg: John Joe Nevin (Ireland) beat Dennis Ceylan (Denmark) 17-8
64Kg: John Joe Joyce (Ireland) lost to Gyula Kate (Hungary) 7-23
69Kg: Willie McLoughlin (Ireland) lost to Mariusz Coperski (Poland) 14-18
Irish squad by club and management
48Kg: (Light flyweight) Paddy Barnes (Holy Family, Belfast)
51Kg: (Flyweight) Jamie Conlon (St John Bosco, Belfast)
54Kg: (Bantamweight) John Joe Nevin (Cavan BC)
57Kg: (Featherweight) David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy, Kildare)
60Kg: (Lightweight) Eric Donovan (St Michael's Athy,Kildare)
64Kg: (Light welterweight) John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy, Kildare)
69Kg: (Welterweight) Willie McLoughlin (Illies Golden Gloves, Donegal)
75Kg: (Middleweight) Darren Sutherland (St Saviours OBA, Dublin)
81Kg: (Light Heavyweight) Ken Egan, cpt (Neilstown, Dublin))
90Kg: (Heavyweight) Con Sheehan (Clonmel, Tipperary)
IABA President: Dominic O'Rourke
High Performance Director: Gary Keegan
Team Manager: Jim Walsh
Coaches: Billy Walsh & Zuar Antia
R&J: Eugene Duffy
Irish 2008 Olympians competing in Poland.
81Kg: Ken Egan
75Kg: Darren Sutherland
64Kg: John Joe Joyce
54Kg: John Joe Nevin
48Kg: Paddy Barnes
2007 EU Championships Finals Results National Stadium Dublin Saturday June 23rd.
48Kg: Kelvin De La Nieve (Spain) lost to Pal Bedak (Hungary) 10- 20
51Kg: Hafid Bouji (Germany) beat Salim Salimov (Bulgaria) 20-7
54Kg: Denis Makarov (Germany) lost to Detelin Dalakliev (Bulgaria) 7-16
57Kg: Carl Frampton (Ireland) lost to Khedafi Djelkhir (France) 27-37
60Kg: Eugene Burhard (Germany) lost to Daouda Sow (France) 6-17
64Kg: Marcin Lwgowski (Poland) lost to Ionut Gheorghe (Romania) 6-17
69Kg: Roy Sheahan (Ireland) beat Noel Xavier (France) RSC4
75Kg: Darren Sutherland (Ireland) beat James Degale (England) 23-19
81Kg: Constantin Bejenaru (Romania) lost to Ken Egan (Ireland) 17-23
91kg: Helia Pavlids (Greece beat Clemente Russo (Italy) 13-8
91Kg+ Roberto Cammerelle (Italy) beat Cathal McMonagle (Ireland) 20-8
Djelkhir wins boxer of the tournament award.
Bernard O'Neill
Public Relations Officer
Irish Amateur Boxing Association
Ph: 086 057 9558
Fax: 061 408627
bernard.oneill@oceanfree.net
www.iaba.ie