DARREN O’NEILL AND David Oliver Joyce recorded further wins for Ireland at the AIBA World Championships on Saturday – ensuring that the entire team is now through to the last-32 of the tournament.
O’Neill was first up in action in Azerbaijan where he faced Norwegian middleweight Glodi Eneste.
The Kilkenny man boxed with intent right from the first bell and had established a 7-2 lead by the end of the first round. From that position, he simply maintained pressure on his opponent, winning the bout 16-5, and he will now face Egyptian and Olympian Mohamed Hikal on Monday.
Joyce, meanwhile, was also a comfortable winner, beating Iranian Mohammad Momevand 23-11 and forcing his opponent to face a standing count in the third and final round. The St. Michael’s Athy man will fight Afghan fighter Mohammad Khaiber in the next round, a clash also scheduled for Monday.
“We’re very happy with the wins,” team manager Des Donnelly said afterwards. “Darren and David boxed very well against their Norwegian and Iranian opponents in their first bouts at this World Championships. We’re now heading into what will be a very busy 24 hours.”
Michael Conlan, Ray Moylette, Roy Sheehan, Joe Ward and Con Sheehan are all in action in Baku on Sunday.