5 Team Ireland boxers mount the Strandja podium.

27/02/2025IABA NewsIABA

Following the completion of Strandja’s two days of quarter finals, 5 Team Ireland boxers will return with medals.

222 athletes are contesting the competion: 143 men and 79 women boxers, from 22 federations, including Ireland: Algeria, Austrian,Azerbaijan, Bulgaria Chinese Taipei, China (Inner Mongolia), Croatia, Cyprus, England, France, Hungary, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Israel, Kosovo, Pakistan, Slovakia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Wales.

48kg Louis Rooney, the European U23 champion at the weight, boxed his first contest of the tournament, and made his debut in the opening bout of Ring A’s Afternoon session, against 2023 World champ, Kazakhstan’s Shanzar Taskenbay. The bout, which began at high tempo, was stopped by way of RSCI after Taskenbay sustained an injury to his left hand. Louis will box for an up-grade on Saturday.

Team Captain, 60kg Adam Hession, contested his quarter final against Kazakhstan’s Serik Termirzhanov and England’s Jack Dryden…This was a tight, testy bout which resulted in a 3-2 decision in Adam’s favour. He’ll meet Kazakhstan’s Serik Termirzhanov in the semi finals. Termirzhanov boxed his quarter final against Adam’s team-and-weight mate, Rhys Owens, who left it all in the ring in his second bout of the tournament. He won his way through to the QFs following a 3-2 win over Georgia’s Artyush Gomtsyan.

Paris Olympian Dean Clancy returned for his second bout of the competition, following a 5-0 preliminaries win over Uzbekistan’s Sayat Ilyasov. He met England’s Patris Mughalzai today and equalled that result – he goes, again, to upgrade on Saturday. His weight-mate, 63.5kg Jason Nevin, boxed his second bout against Mukhammedsabyr Bazarbayuulu of Kazakhstan. This was a very tough contest, and Jason left it all in the ring – the decision went to Ba.zarbayuulu

80kg James Whelan was also back in action for his second contest today, boxing Kazakhstan’s Yerassyl Zhakpekov, and despite meeting his opponent toe-to-toe, came out the wrong side of a 4-1 split.

Day Five

Just one Team Ireland boxer in action on women’s semi final day – 48kg Ciara Walsh makes her Strandja debut assured of at least a bronze medal.

She opens procedings, in Ring A’s Afternoon Session, against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Saattibayeva.

Programme

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Watch

The Bulgarian Boxing Federation is streaming the tournament live on its YouTube channel. Links, per ring and session, will be published on the day of boxing.

Boxing in the Afternoon Session begins at 12pm, Irish time, while the evening sessions gets underway at 3.30pm.

Team Ireland