London 2012 Olympian Adam Nolan made it through into the last 16 of the European Boxing Championships in Minsk, Belarus yesterday with Belfast's Sean McComb bowing out after his first match.
The Bray welterweight had a 3-0 win (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in the 69kg division over Poland’s Tomasz Kot, an opponent he beat on his way to qualifying for London last year The 10-point must scoring system, which is different to the computer-based method used in the Olympics, is in operation in Minsk.
Nolan, who is coached by Pete Taylor in Bray as he is stationed as a garda there, now meets Bogdan Shelestyuk of Ukraine, who received a bye in the first round.
Belfast lightweight McComb lost out on a place in the last 16 to the tough Ukrainian Pavlo Ischenko on a unanimous decision, 29-27, 29-28, 29-28. McComb knew his formidable rival from the pre-championship training camp in the Ukraine.
He produced a poor first round but came back in the second before Ischenko won the third round to claim the bout.
"We knew him (Ischenko) from the training camp in Kiev and John Joe Nevin fought him before also, he's a very tough and physical opponent. Sean had a good second round and I thought that might have brought us back into the fight," said Irish head coach Billy Walsh. "Sean gave it everything and that's all we can ask for."
First bouts
Elsewhere Ireland's two reigning European champions, Ray Moylette and Joe Ward are both in the ring today for their first bouts of the competition.
Moylette will meet Turkey’s Huseyin Karslioglu and light heavyweight, Ward, who is on something of a comeback after failing to make it to London last summer, goes in against Poland’s Mateusz Tryc.
Olympic bronze medallist Michael Conlan and Con Sheehan are also in action. Conlan opens his campaign against Armenian Narek Abgaryan while Sheehan faces Georgia’s Mikheil Bakhtidze. The rest of the boxers from the 10-man team are in the ring tomorrow.
London 2012 silver medallist John Joe Nevin and bronze medallist Paddy Barnes as well as European Under-23 champion Jason Quigley, heavyweight Tommy McCarthy and Nolan all compete. Light-flyweight Barnes, a gold medal winner at the 2010 Euros, meets Welsh champion Ashley William.
Results: 60kg: S McComb (Ireland) lost to P Ischenko (Ukraine) 0-3; 69kg: A Nolan (Ireland) beat T Kot (Poland) 3-0.
Today's Draw: 52kg: M Conlan (Ireland) v N Abgaryan (Armenia); 64kg: R Moylette (Ireland) v H Karslioglu (Turkey); 81kg: J Ward (Ireland) v M Tryc (Poland); 91kg+: C Sheehan (Ire) v M Bakhtidze (Georgia).
Tomorrow: 49kg: P Barnes (Ire) v A Williams (Wales); 56kg: JJ Nevin (Ire) v S Exer (Turkey) or S McGolderick (Wales); 69kg: A Nolan (Ire) v B Shelestyuk (Ukraine); 75kg: J Quigley (Ire) v A Chakaev (Austria); 91kg: T McCarthy (Ire) v T Honka (Finland).
