BOXING Michael Gallagher at World Championships

Irish referee and judge Michael Gallagher was the third man in the ring for Saturdays AIBA World Championships bantamweight final between Detelin Dalakiev of Bulgaria and Eduard Abzalimov of Russia at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan.

Saturdays final was the first time an Irishman refereed a major international decider, since Jackie Poucher, who was also a soccer ref, took charge of the 1992 Olympic duel between Oscar De La Hoya and Marco Rudolph in Barcelona - just one bout before Michael Carruth won gold.

Gallagher, from Omagh in Tyrone, was also one of the judges at Saturdays super heavyweight final between Roberto Cammarelle of Italy and Roman Kapitonenko of the Ukraine.