Patrick Harkin and David Joe Joyce had to be content with bronze medals at the European Cadet Champion-ships in Siofok, Hungary, on Friday 29 June after both bowed out of the U-17 tournament at the semi-final stage.
Lightweight Harkin, of the Dunnfanaghy club in Donegal, was stopped on the 15-point rule at the end of round one by Stephan Kurda from Belarus. And light welterweight Joyce, from the St Michael’s Athy club, was also stopped on the 15-point rule in the second round of his final-four bout with Russian Leven Audaylan.
The 15-point rule (20-point for senior boxing) halts a contest automatically once a boxer goes 15 points ahead of his opponent, except in the last round.
Harkin has been having a fantastic season so far and helped Ireland to a round-robin victory over the combined talents of Germany, Sweden and Lithuania at the National Stadium in Dublin in June. The previous month, the Donegal teenager clinched the Irish Cadet 60kg title following a convincing 11–2 win over Chris Meighan of the Dockers club in Belfast.
Despite the defeats in Hungary, Harkin and Joyce guaranteed themselves at least bronze from the tournament to mark Ireland’s best ever performance at this level.
Coach Jim Moore was full of praise for the duo after the tournament. “The European Cadet Championships are traditionally seen as one of the toughest and most competitive underage tournaments in the world,” he said.
“The Russians are here in force and the Eastern European countries also, and it was always going to be difficult to get to the medals stages. Young Patrick and David can be very proud of their achievements.”
The double bronze arrived just six days after Ireland confirmed her status as the top amateur boxing nation in the EU, when Irish boxers won three gold and two silver medals at the European Union Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin.
Irish captain Ken Egan, Darren Sutherland and Roy Sheahan finished on top of the podium, while Donegal super heavyweight Cathal McMonagle and Belfast featherweight Carl Frampton won silver on an historic day for boxing in this country.
The Irish senior team will now travel to Ukraine on 5 July for a training camp and Multi Nations tournament, which the IABA’s High Performance director Gary Keegan describes as an integral part of their preparations of October’s World Championships in Chicago.
Boxers reaching the quarter-finals in Chicago will automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, although heavyweights and super heavyweights must reach the semi-finals to book their tickets because of the lower entry level in these weight categories.
If Ireland fails to win any berths for Beijing in Chicago, then there will be two further qualifying tournaments in Liverpool and Greece early in the new year. However, these qualifiers will be very much a last-chance saloon for European boxers.
Chicago represents a fantastic opportunity for Ireland, but a lot will depend on the draw, and most nations will be trying to avoid the ‘usual suspects’ – the Cubans and the Russians –in the earlier rounds.
With up to 500 boxers expected to enter the tournament, it is possible (leaving aside byes) that it will take at most three bouts to reach the last eight, which will be enough to ensure that the Ireland will be represented in Beijing. But it is going to be tough, and to put the task ahead in perspective, only two boxers from this country have made it to the Olympics this century, and both of them have been from Munster (Andy Lee in 2004 and Michael Roche in 2000).
In pro news, undefeated Limerick southpaw Andy Lee, now boxing out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit, will met Austrian Engin Erdogan in his 10th professional fight in Cologne, Germany on 7 July.
The clash will be on the undercard of the IBO and IBF World heavyweight title showdown between champion Waldimir Klitschko and challenger Lamon Brewster.
Meanwhile, cheeky Italian puncher Alessio Furlan is planning to buy unbeaten Irish middleweight John Duddy a pint of Guinness – after he beats him at the National Stadium in Dublin this month.
Furlan, 30, is due to go head-to-head with New York based Duddy at the home of Irish amateur boxing on 14 July. The fight will be Derry-born Duddy’s first as a professional on Irish soil, but Furlan has vowed to spoil the homecoming.
“I have great respect for John Duddy but I will come with my own tactical plan to beat him,” said Furlan. “He is tough and not afraid of anyone so he’s just like me in that respect.
“I will be out to spoil his homecoming, but I’ll buy Duddy a pint of Guinness afterwards to apologise for beating him.”
Duddy, 28, is presently in training camp in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania under new coach Don Turner, and according to manager Eddie McLoughlin, he will be “locked and loaded” and ready for battle.
“John’s training has been going exceptionally well and he will be in top shape for his return to the National Stadium,” said McLoughlin, speaking from New York. “We really enjoyed our visit back to Ireland recently and John is very much looking forward to this fight as he is being inundated with requests from fans for tickets.
“It promises to be a fantastic night, and John is confident that he will be chalking up his 21st win at the National Stadium.”
But Furlan – who has won 19, drawn five and lost eight of his 32 pro fights – reckons that he has sussed out weaknesses in Duddy’s defence and he has no problem with the partisan home support.
“I’ve seen Duddy’s fight with Yory Boy Campas and it was a real war,” he said. “Those are the kind of fights that I love to be involved in. I don’t think Duddy is an especially big puncher, but he does wear his opponents down with an impressive work-rate.
“He has some boxing skills but he’s mainly a fighter and I see some flaws in his defence. I love fighting in front of big passionate crowds and I’m sure that’s what will await me in Dublin.”
“He has some boxing skills but he’s mainly a fighter and I see some flaws in his defence. I love fighting in front of big passionate crowds and I’m sure that’s what will await me in Dublin.”
