Joe Ward, Anthony Browne, Michaela Walsh and Carly McNaul are guaranteed at least four bronze medals at the Chemistry World Cup in Cologne, Germany.
The Irish quartet all won their quarter-finals today and evening and will be aiming to upgrade to at least silver tomorrow.
European Elite champion Ward, now two wins away from claiming a third Chemistry Cup gold, was the last Irish boxer in action tonight and comfortably beat China’s Jilei Zhang on a unanimous decision in the light heavy class.
Please click here for today’s results and Friday’s semi-finals schedule.
Dublin heavyweight Browne secured Ireland’s first medal of the 21-nation tournament after Zhiabao Wang’s quit – his corner threw in the towel – at the start of the second round earlier today.
“His corner retired him. I felt comfortable in there and look forward to putting in another performance for Team Ireland here tomorrow,” said Browne who was 10-9 ahead on all five cards at the end of the first.
McNaul and Walsh outpointed Mongolian pair Delgerkhnga Khongorzul and Mungustsetseg Enkhjargal in the feather and fly class to advance to the last four.
Walsh clearly hurt Khongorzul with a body shot in the second frame and rocked the Asian with a big right hook to the head in the third in a dominant performance from the EU champion.
But Kurt Walker, also an EU titlist, admitted he began too sluggishly versus Russian feather Albert Batyrgaziev, while Irish welters Christina Desmond and Grainne Walsh were beaten on unanimous and split verdicts early this morning.
”I started off too slow, I came well into it in the second and the third. The first round left me down. I’m happy to get two quality fights here. It will improve me for the European Games,” said Walker.
Emmett Brennan finished out the third round on the front foot against Gleb Bakshi but the Russian middleweight had enough in the bank to advance to the 75kg semi-finals.
Bernard Dunne, IABA High-Performance Director, hailed the performances of all the Irish boxers in action on a marathon day of boxing which began at 9am this morning and finishes at approximately 11pm tonight.
All images courtesy of Margit Kincses.
Images: Michael Walsh and Irish coaching staff, Kurt Walker, Carly McNaul, Christina Desmond, Grainne Walsh, Irish coaches today
Chemistry Cup (World Cup) Cologne, Germany
April 12
S/Finals
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) v Pinki Rani (India)
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Lenuta Lacramioara (Romania)
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) v Abu-Lubdeh Abdulrahman (Germany)
91kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) v Brandon Ress (Australia)
April 11
Q/Finals
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) beat Mungustsetseg Enkhjargal (Mongolia) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Delgerkhnga Khongorzul (Mongolia) 5-0
57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) lost to Albert Batyrgaziev (Russia) 0-5
69kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) lost to Liu Yang (China) 0-5
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) lost to Nadine Apetz (Germany) 2-3
75kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) lost to Gleb Bakshi (Russia) 0-5
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Jilei Zhang (China) 5-0
91kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) beat Zhiabao Wang (China) RET2
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
Irish squad
51kg Carly McNaul (Holy Family) (Bronze, at least)
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monkstown) (Bronze, at least)
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) (Bronze, at least)
91kg Tony Browne (St Michael’s) (Bronze, at least)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team Manager: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zuar Antia, John Conlan, Damian Kennedy
Physiotherapist: Muireann Harte
Physiologist: Damain Martin