George Bates and Sofiane Oumiha
IRELAND recorded 11 victories on Day 1 of their Elite International Round Robin with France, Germany, Italy and Russia at Dublin’s National Stadium tonight.
Galway southpaw Patrick Mongan stole the show with a sensational win over Russia’s Rio 2016 bronze medallist Vladimir Nikitin in the lightweight class.
Nikitin, who beat Michael Conlan in the bantam quarter-finals at Rio 2016 but who has moved up to light, probably shaded the first on body shots with the Olympic BC man on the ropes at times, but Mongan upped the tempo and came storming back to take rounds two and three and a deserved 4-1 split.
“We’re absolutely delighted with the win, an absolutely brilliant performance from Pat,” said Olympic BC coach Mike Mongan, who had vowed before this meeting that the current Elite champion would ask some big questions of the Olympic and World medallist.
Christina Desmond, Kellie Harrington. Rio Olympians Brendan Irvine and Steven Donnelly, Dean Gardiner, Ken Ogubgbowa, Carly McNaul, Sean McComb, Martin Keenan and Kurt Walker also won this evening.
Darren O’Neill almost did the business against current Olympic champion Evgeny Tischenko, but the towering Russian heavy got the nod on a 3-2 split after a see-saw three rounds.
“It didn’t bother me that’s he’s the Olympic champion. I thought I nicked it,” said O’Neill, with some justification. “Look the important thing is that I get the rounds under my belt ahead of the Europeans.” O’Neill and Tisckenko were tied a 1-1 in personnel head-to-heads going into the third meeting at the home of Irish boxing.
Martin Keenan had his hand raised in victory on a 4-0 verdict after Ivan Veriasov received a public warning for holding in the second round in the final bout of Day 1 in the super-heavy class.
A big performance from the Rathkeale BC man. Likewise with Dubliner George Bates – and the rest of the Irish squad – who asked some serious questions of French Rio 2016 silver medallist Sofiane Oumiha.
The Boys Are Back In Town was playing as Keenan was leaving the ring. They are indeed, and so are the girls. They won three from three today, with an elated Carly McNaul receiving congratulations from Anna Moore, who Harrington described as the “mammy of Irish boxing”, after her victory.
Newly appointed High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne was at ringside for all the action on the opening day of the tournament.
Boxing resumes at 11am tomorrow. The full program will be available in the morning.
International Elite Round Robin National Stadium Dublin
April 28th
Ireland B v France (+ Italy, Germany, and Russia) (2pm)
75kg Christina Desmond (Ireland) beat Assunta Canfora (Italy) 5-0
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Flora Pili (France) 5-0
56kg Jordan Rodriguez (France) beat Stephen McKenna (Ireland) 5-0
60kg Sofiane Oumiha (France) beat George Bates (Ireland) 5-0
64kg Wahlid Hambli (France) beat Wayne Kelly (Ireland) 4-1
69kg Steven Donnelly (Ireland) beat Artem Zaitsev (Russia) 4-1
75kg Artur Beck (Germany) beat Bengoro Bamba (France) 3-2
81kg Diabira Mamadou (France) beat Michael Frayne (Ireland) 5-0
91kg Ken Okungbowa (Ireland) beat Paul OmbaBiongolo (France) 5-0
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) beat Djamili Dini Aboudou Moinze (France) 4-1
Germany v Italy (+ Ireland and Russia) (5.30pm)
49kg Salah Abrahim (Germany) beat Federico Serra (Italy) 4-1
51kg Carly McNaul (Ireland) beat Roberta Mostarda (Italy) 3-2
56kg Raffaele Di Serio (Italy) beat Dominik Hirsch (Germany) 5-0
60kg Guiseppe Canonico (Italy) beat Artur Bril (Germany) 4-1
64kg Gabil Memedov (Russia) beat Robert Harutyunyan (Germany) 4-1
64kg Paolo Di Lernia (Italy) beat Dmitri Polianski (Russia) 3-2
69kg Vincenzo Arecchia (Italy) beat Christian Dezel (Germany) 5-0
75kg Salvatore Cavallaro (Italy) beat Brian Hellwig (Germany) 4-1
81kg Federico Antonaci (Italy) beat Ibragim Bazuev (Germany) TKOI3
91kg Simone Fiori (Italy) beat Nikolas Weizmann (Germany) 5-0
91+kg Guido Vianello (Italy) beat Artem Suslenkov (Russia) 5-0
Ireland A v Russia (+ Italy)
49kg Vasili Egorov (Russia) beat Blaine Dobbins (Ireland) 5-0
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) beat Tamil Galonov (Russia) 4-1
52kg Manuel Cappai (Italy) beat Vadim Kudriakov (Russia) 5-0
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) beat Bakhtovar Nazirov (Russia) 4-1
60kg Patrick Mongan (Ireland) beat Vladimir Nikitin (Russia) 4-1
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Vitaly Dunaystev (Russia) 5-0
69kg Sergei Sobylinskii (Russia) beat Dean Walsh (Ireland) 3-2
75kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) lost to Petr Khamukov (Russia) 0-5
81kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) lost to Georgii Kushitshvii (Russia) fight stopped after Khamukov suffers head wound in first) RSCI1
91kg Darren O’Neill (Ireland) lost to Evgeny Tischenko (Russia) 2-3
91+kg Martin Keenan (Ireland) beat Ivan Veriasov (Russia) 4-0
Dates
April 29th
Ireland B v Germany (11am)
Russia v Italy (3pm)
Ireland A v France (7pm)
April 30th (10am)
Ireland A v Germany
Russia v France
Ireland B v Italy
Teams
Ireland A
Men
49kg Blaine Dobbins (St Josephs, Derry)
52kg Brendan Irvine (St Pauls)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
60kg Patrick Mongan (Olympic)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
69kg Dean Walsh (St Josephs/St Ibars)
75kg Emmett Brennan (Glasnevin)
81kg Anthony Browne (St Michaels, Dublin)
91kg Darren O’Neill (Paulstown)
91kg+ Martin Keenan (Rathkeale)
Women
51kg Carly McNaul (Ormeau Road)
60kg Kellie Harrington (St Marys)
75kg Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans)
Ireland B
Men
49kg Connor Jordan (St Aidans)
52kg Thomas McCarthy (Brian Dillons)
56kg Stephen McKenna (Old School)
60kg George Bates (St Marys)
64kg Wayne Kelly (Ballynacargy)
69kg Stephen Donnelly (All Sainst)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
81kg Michael Frayne (St Marys)
91kg Ken Ogunkbowa (Athlone)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Women
51kg —
60kg —
75kg Grainne Walsh (Sparticus)
France