Punch Drunk - the boxing thread

[Peg Leg]

Kavaliauskas KO'd Welsh boxer Fred Evans. If he wins his semi tomorrow Roy Sheehan will qualify for London.

Thought he had to go all the way? That would be some result for the squad!

[Broken Wing]

No, the boxers beaten in the last 16 by the eventual finalists qualify. The fights are on Friday and I think RTÉ might have Nevin's live around 11.30.

[Peg Leg]

No, the boxers beaten in the last 16 by the eventual finalists qualify. The fights are on Friday and I think RTÉ might have Nevin's live around 11.30.

Sweet, nice one BW. Will check that out.
You mustn't be getting to follow much by the way of rugby these days.

[Ulster's Best]

Guys, how big a surprise was it our wee Belfast man Paddy losing?

[Broken Wing]

Huge. He was seeded 8th and was considered one of Ireland's best chances to qualify for London. He didn't have to box in the elites so he was ring rusty going into Baku (training camps can only do so much). Luckily there's only 2 Europeans qualified in his division so there'll be plenty of places to fight for in Istanbul in April.

[Ulster's Best]

Huge. He was seeded 8th and was considered one of Ireland's best chances to qualify for London. He didn't have to box in the elites so he was ring rusty going into Baku (training camps can only do so much). Luckily there's only 2 Europeans qualified in his division so there'll be plenty of places to fight for in Istanbul in April.

Cheers. Yeah, I wouldn't be an authority on it but I suppose we as casual sports fans have come to expect biggish things of him. Bit of a character too, with a few rough edges.

[Broken Wing]

Nevin's fight is live on RTÉ1 from 11.20. He should be in the ring for 11.30.

[Broken Wing]

4-3 down after the first round, 9-9 after the second and 12-12 after the third Nevin lost on countback. Bronze medal, first Irish male boxer to medal twice at World Championships and a place in London. Not a bad week's work.

edit: Sorry Katie.

[Broken Wing]

Just a quick heads up about the women.

The Irish team are off to Rotterdam for the European Women's Championship. First fights are Monday and I've no idea if there's coverage anywhere. This isn't an Olympic qualifying event but is a seeding event for next years Women's World Championships in Qing Huandao which is the only Olympic qualifying event.

In Rotterdam women will box in 10 weight divisions but in the Olympics there are only 3.

The Irish team are (those in bold are the Olympic weights):
48Kg: Lynne McEnery (St Pauls)
51Kg: Katie Rowland (Geesala)
54Kg: Ciere Smith (Cavan)
57Kg: Michaela Walsh (Holy Family)
60Kg: Katie Taylor (Bray)
64Kg: Kelly Harrington (Corinthians)
69Kg: Laoise Traynor (Bray)
75kg: Sinead Kavanagh (Drimnagh)
81kg: Lauragh O'Neill (Paulstown)

The Irish team has a bit of pedigree. Katie Taylor is going for her 5th gold in a row and both Katie Rowland and Michaela Walsh picked up bronze medals at the 2011 World Youth Championships while Laoise Traynor and Lauragh O’Neill were bronze medallists at the 2011 Women’s European Union Championships

[Broken Wing]

It's Light Heavyweight weekend.

First up, live from Liverpool is the Cleverly Bellew WBO World Title fight. So far things have kicked off at the press conference and the weigh in so hopefully they're keeping some of the theatrics for the ring as well. Both fighters are undefeated and Cleverly deserves some credit for defending his title in Bellew's home town but, excited as British fight fans are about this Wales V England bash, it’s really just the warm up act.

The main event comes from LA’s Staples centre where the oldest man ever to hold a major title, Bernard Hopkins, defends his WBC title against Chad Dawson.

OK, strap yourself in for this as we follow the WBC title for a glimpse of the background to this fight. "Bad" Chad was WBC champion from February 07 to July 08 when he vacated the title after 3 defences. Adrian Daiconu took the title, defended it once and then lost it to Canadian Jean Pascal. Pascal defended it against Italy’s Silvio Branco and then against Daiconu and then against Chad Dawson (Dawson's only career loss). In the immediate aftermath of the victory over Dawson he called out Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins, as he tells it, sat up straight in his rocking chair, popped in his dentures and set to work. Pascal and Hopkins fought in Quebec with the fight ending in a draw. Pascal immediately offered a rematch and so Hopkins went to Montreal for just his second fight outside the US since 94. This time he came home with the WBC title thanks to a unanimous decision.

Unfortunately for Hopkins a fight with Dawson was part of the rematch contract. If Hopkins had his way there are a number of fights that would have been bigger draws and more lucrative purses than a guy 17 years his junior. When asked about the fight Dawson claimed his speed, jab and youth would be the deciding factors. Hopkins disagrees (of course) pointing out that in the gym where he trains there’s a $2,000 bonus available to “any of these young guys” who can knock him down and another bonus for hitting him ten times in a round.

Hopkins certainly has no shortage of self belief and drive but at 46 he’s well into the twilight of his career and this will more than likely be his final curtain.

Both fights are live and free on BoxNation (Sky channel 456). Starts at 6 tomorrow evening with the European & WBO Intercontinental Super-Middleweight Championship fight between Piotr Wilczewski and James DeGale included in the lead in to Cleverly Bellew. Odds are it'll be 2am before Hopkins gets into the ring.

[Peg Leg]

Woop woop for B-Hop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgSv7E25 ... re=related

[sarah_lennon]

[Broken Wing]

Class.

Unlike the Hopkins Dawson farce.

Katie Taylor and Sinead Kavanagh both won their opening fights yesterday but Laoise Traynor was beaten. 1/8 finals today with everyone in action.

[Broken Wing]

So far today:

48kg: Lynne McInerney (IRL) 11-12 Lynsey Holdaway (WAL)
51kg: Katie Roland (IRL) retired at the start of round three against Nicola Adams (ENG)
60kg: Katie Taylor (IRL) 22-3 Romina Marenda (ITA)

[Broken Wing]

Only Ceire Smyth won for the Irish in the later session. She stopped her opponent in the last round.

Taylor, Smith and Lauragh O'Neill, who received a bye into the last-eight, will box for places in the semi-finals and at least a bronze medal each on Wednesday.

[Ulster's Best]

Only Ceire Smyth won for the Irish in the later session. She stopped her opponent in the last round.

Taylor, Smith and Lauragh O'Neill, who received a bye into the last-eight, will box for places in the semi-finals and at least a bronze medal each on Wednesday.

Another good win for Katie Taylor today I see - into semis!

[Broken Wing]

Katie's the last Irish fighter standing. She faces Helena Falk of Sweden on Friday (today is a rest day).

The other semi is between Sofya Ochigava of Russia and Denista Eliseeva of Bulgaria. Ochigava normally fights at 54kg but has gone up to 60kg as it's one of the Olympic weights. She beat Katie 8-1 at 60kg in the semi finals of the Grand Prix in the Czech Republic in March 2010.

Ochigava won the Europeans at 54kg in 2005, 54kg in 2007 and 57kg in 2009 and, from the start, was seen as Katie's biggest threat in this tournament.

[Ulster's Best]

Katie's the last Irish fighter standing. She faces Helena Falik of Sweden on Friday (today is a rest day).

The other semi is between Sofya Ochigava of Russia and Denista Eliseeva of Bulgaria. Ochigava normally fights at 54kg but has gone up to 60kg as it's one of the Olympic weights. She beat Katie 8-1 at 60kg in the semi finals of the Grand Prix in the Czech Republic in March 2010.

Ochigava won the Europeans at 54kg in 2005, 54kg in 2007 and 57kg in 2009 and, from the start, was seen as Katie's biggest threat in this tournament.

Falk seemed useful enough when she fought Katie in Bray in August (no score - it was judges) but she won't fear her. If she makes the final there will be a sense of unfinished business against each of the other two given the history of previous meetings.

[Broken Wing]

Ochigava is captain of a Russian team with representatives in semi finals at seven weights. The Ukrainian team also have 7 semi finalists. Come the World Championships next year we'll have to hope that the Irish fighters aiming for London are not drawn to meet any Russians or Ukrainians until the later rounds. This event in Rotterdam is a seeding event for the World Championships so hopefully it means Katie at least will avoid them (though I've full confidence in her ability to qualify).

[Broken Wing]

Katie beat Falk 25:11 and Ochigava beat Eliseeva 17:6.

Taylor V Ochigava in the final tomorrow evening.