THREE WINS ON DAY 1 OF EUROPEAN YOUTHS

Team Ireland recorded three wins on Day 1 of the European Men’s and Women’s Youth Championships in Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy this afternoon and evening.

Belfast middleweight Kane Tucker was unlucky to got out on a 3-2 split to Croatia’s Gabrijel Veocic. Tucker earned two 30-27 rounds from two judges, but, crucially, the other three judges leaned 29-28 each to the opposition.

Limerick welter Edward Donovan, switching-hitting throughout, advanced after an impressive unanimous decision over Poland’s Michal Jarlinski.

Kildare’s Brandon McCarthy and Cork’s Callum Walsh, the current European Junior champion, maintained the momentum this evening on unanimous decisions.

McCarthy saw off Slovakia’s Alexander Tanko and Walsh took all five judges with him against Germany’s Kilp Frank after a titanic light-welter battle.

Walsh won’t have far to look for information on his next opponent, Ilya Popov. The Russian southpaw edged his Riverstown BC team-mate. Eamer Coughlan, in the 2015 World Junior final in St Petersburg, Russia.

Callum Walsh, coaches Billy McClean and Michael Carruth after win

Five Irish boxers are in action tomorrow in the preliminaries.

(Pictures courtesy of Irish coach Anita Just)

Irish amateur boxing is proudly sponsored by Liffey Crane.