Pavilion 6 venue for boxing at Rio
Michael Conlan makes his debut at the Rio Olympics today.
Boxing2016 – Rio2016 Olympic Games Day9 Schedule
The current World and European Elite bantamweight champion meets Armenia’s Aram Avagyan for a place in the quarter-finals at approximately 3.30pm (Irish time) this afternoon.
Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee and Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin clash in the corresponding bout.
Twenty-four-year-old Ayagyan qualified for Rio after winning the third place box-off at the European qualifiers in Turkey earlier this year.
The Yerevan orthodox, a 2013 European Elite bronze medallist, has one win under his belt in Rio and 182 bouts to his name going into the three-rounder with the Irish No. 1 seed in the 56kg class.
Conlan qualified through the World Series of Boxing and made the qualifcation standard again after becoming the first Irish male boxer to claim gold at a World Elite Championships in Doha, Qatar last year.
A positive decision this afternoon will leave the London 2012 bronze medallist three, three minute rounds away from successive podium finishes at the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Katie Taylor faces Finland’s Mira Potkonen at 3pm (Irish time) Monday for a place in the semi-finals and at least bronze.
Conlan and Taylor, both No.1 seeds in their respective weights, are the last two Irish boxers left at Rio 2016.
Both received byes into the last 16 and last 8.
Irish Draw Rio Olympics
August 7th (last 32)
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Andrique Allisop (Seychelles) 3-0
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) beat Zahir Kedache (Algeria) 3-0
August 8th (last 16)
49kg Paddy Barnes (Ireland) lost to Samuel Carmona (Spain) 1-2
August 9th (last 16)
60kg David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) lost to Albert Selimov (Azerbaijan) 0-3
August 10th (last 16)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) lost to Carlos Andreas Mina (Ecuador) 1-2
August 11th (last 16)
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) beat Tuvshinbat Byamba (Mongolia) 2-1
August 12th (last 16)
75kg Michael O’Reilly (Ireland) lost to Uziel Rodriquez (Mexico) W/O
August 13th (last 32)
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Shakhobidin Zoirov (Uzbekistan) 0-3
Q/Final
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) lost to Mohammed Rabii (Morocco) 1-2
August 14th (last 16)
56kg Michael Conlan (Ireland) v Aram Avagyan (Armenia)
August 15th (Q/Final)
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) v Mira Potkonen (Finland)
Irish squad
Women
60kg (Lightweight) – Katie Taylor (Bray)
Men
49kg (Light-flyweight) – Paddy Barnes (Holy Family)
52kg (Flyweight) – Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s)
56kg (Bantamweight) – Michael Conlan (Clonard)
60kg (Lightweight) – David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy & AIBA Pro Boxing)
69kg (Welterweight) – Steven Donnelly (All Saints)
75kg (Middleweight) – Michael O’Reilly (Portlaoise)
81kg (Light-heavyweight) – Joe Ward (Moate & AIBA Pro Boxing)
Team Manager: Joe Hennigan
Coaches: Zaur Antia, Eddie Bolger, John Conlan
Physio: Julianne Ryan
Sport Psychologist: Gerry Hussey
Doctor: Jim Clover