Current European and EU Elite Championships Joe Ward and Kurt Walker, pictured above (blue) in action today, are through to the last eight of the Chemistry Cup after racking up unanimous decisions in Cologne, Germany this afternoon and evening.
Carly McNaul and Emmet Brennan also took all five judges with them en route to victory.
But Rio Olympian Brendan Irvine, Wayne Kelly, Kieran Molloy, James McGivern and Dean Gardiner bowed out at the last 16 stages.
Kelly and Gardiner produced top-class performances against Cuba’s Jorge Moiran and Russia’s Sergei Egorov but lost by the narrowest of margins – 3-2 split verdicts.
Irvine, in his first international fight back since injuring his hand last May, dropped a unanimous call to highly rated English flyweight Galai Yafai.
Joe Ward
Walker and McNaul recorded two straight wins versus Armenian feather Eric Petrosyan and Polish flyweight Angelika Krysztoforska in the opening two sessions.
And Brennan and Ward, who is aiming for his third gold medal at this level, claimed two wins on the trot over Polish pair Rafael Perczynski and Piotr Sczukowski in the third and final session of the day.
Ward, Brennan, McNaul and Walker will be back in action tomorrow along with Christina Desmond, Grainne Walsh, Anthony Brown and Michaela Walsh.
The 21-nation Chemistry Cup, which has been rebranded as the World Cup, runs straight through until the finals on Saturday.
Click here for results and Day 2 schedule. The quarter-finals will be decided over three sessions. Boxing begins at 9am (Irish time) in the morning.
(Walker image courtesy of Margit Kincses)
Chemistry Cup (World Cup) Cologne, Germany
April 10
Last 16
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Eric Petrosyan (Armenia) 5-0
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) beat Angelika Krysztoforska (Poland) 5-0
63kg Wayne Kelly (Ireland) lost to Jorge Moiran (Cuba) 2-3
63kg James McGivern (Ireland) lost to Enrico La Cruz (Netherlands) 0-5
69kg Kieran Molloy (Ireland) lost to Otgonbaatar Bymba (Mongolia) 0-4
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Sergei Egorov (Russia) 2-3
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Galai Yafai (England) 0-5
75kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) beat Rafael Perczynski (Poland) 5-0
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Piotr Sczukowski (Poland) 5-0
April 11
Q/Finals
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) v Enkh Enkhjargal (Mongolia
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Delgerkhnga Khongorzul (Mongolia)
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) v Albert Batyrgaziev (Russia)
69kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) v Liu Yang (China)
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) v Nadine Apetz (Germany)
75kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) v Gleb Bakshi (Russia)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) v Jilei Zhang (China)
91kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) v Zhiabao Wang (China)
Irish squad
51kg Carly McNaul (Holy Family)
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monkstown)
69kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgan’s)
69kg Grainne Walsh (Spartacus)
52kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s)
57kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
63kg James McGivern (St Georges)
63kg Wayne Kelly (Portlaoise)
69kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
75kg Emmet Brennan (Glasnevin)
81kg Joe Ward (Spartacus)
91kg Tony Browne (St Michael’s)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team Manager: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zuar Antia, John Conlan, Damian Kennedy
Physiotherapist: Muireann Harte
Physiologist: Damain Martin