Armenian bantam Zhirayr Saeqsyan and Georgian super-heavy Mikheil Bakhtidze won their last 32 bouts at the 44-nation European Games in Minsk today to set up last 16 meetings with Kurt Walker and Dean Gardiner on Monday.
Saeqsyan beat Romania’s Eusebiu Jitaru and will meet No. 4 seed Walker on Monday afternoon and Bakhtidze outpointed Islvan Nagu of Hungary en route to his three-rounder with Gardiner.
World Elite lightweight champion Kellie Harrington, the No. 1 seed in the 60kg class in Minsk, will face the winner of Sunday’s meeting between Italy’s former World Youth champion Irma Testa and Moldova’s Christina Rygielska in the quarter-finals next Wednesday with at least bronze up for grabs.
Testa, who will be favourite to advance versus Rygielska, has dropped two decisions to Harrington in the past but the Italian Rio 2016 Olympian did beat France’s Rio 2016 Olympic and World champion Estelle Mossely three years ago.
Kieran Molloy and Michael Nevin will be the first Irish boxers in action tomorrow in Belarus.
Click on below for Saturday’s draw. Local times apply on program. Ireland is two hours behind Belarus.
Boxing2019 – European Games Day2 Schedule (1)
European Games 2019 Minsk, Belarus
June 22
Last 32
69kg Kieran Molloy (Ireland) v Goce Janeski (Northern Macedonia)
75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) v Mark Dickinson (Team GB)
June 23
Last 32 and 16
49kg Regan Buckley (Ireland) v Bator Sagalvev (Russia) (last 16)
64kg James McGivern (Ireland) v Michael Takacs (Slovakia) (last 32)
91kg Anthony Browne (Ireland) v Dzemal Bosnjak (Bosnia & Herzegovina) (last 16)
June 24
Last 16
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) v Zhirayr Saeqsyan (Armenia)
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) v Lenuta Perijoc (Romania)
69kg Grainne Walsh (Ireland) v Rosie Eccles (Great Britain)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Ireland) v Mikheil Bakhtidze (Georgia)
June 25
Last 16
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) v Viktoryia Kebikava (Belarus)
June 26
Q/Finals
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) v Irma Testa (Italy) or Christina Rygielska (Moldova)
Irish squad
Female
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monsktown A)
60kg Kellie Harrington (St Marys)
69kg Gráinne Walsh (Spartacus)
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea)
Male
49kg Regan Buckley (St Teresa’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg James McGivern (St George’s)
69kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
91kg Tony Browne (St Michael’s Dublin)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team manager: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk