THERE WERE MIXED fortunes for the two Irish boxers in action in today’s Olympic qualifiers in Baku.
Dean Gardiner moved closer to sealing his place at this summer’s Games in Rio thanks to a victory over Satish Kumar, but Dean Walsh’s 2016 Olympic hopes are over after he was beaten by Smetov Ismetov.
Gardiner is now three wins away from qualifying for Rio. His bout against Kumar was brought to a halt late in the second round when the Indian boxer sustained a cut to his face as a result of an accidental clash of heads.
The scores were level at the time, but when it went back to the judges, it was Gardiner who emerged victorious via spit decision.
Gardiner will now take on Ukraine’s Viktor Vychryst in Tuesday’s quarter-final. With just one place up for grabs at super-heavyweight, the man from Clonmel needs to win the gold medal in Baku in order to make it to Rio.
There was disappointment today for 22-year-old Wexford native Dean Walsh, however, after he suffered a unanimous-decision defeat to Bulgaria’s Smetov Ismetov in the last 32 at light-welterweight.
Tomorrow in Baku, heavyweight Darren O’Neill will be in last-16 action against Nigeria’s Wesley Apochi, and middleweight Michael O’Reilly takes on Vitalia Dandarenka of Belarus in the last 32.
