LAST UPDATE | 15 Oct 2022
KELLIE HARRINGTON RECORDED a split-decision win over Ozer Gizem to progress to the European Championship quarter-finals in Budva, Montenegro.
Less than 24 hours after the Dubliner comprehensively outclassed French powerhouse Maiva Hamadouche, Harrington picked up her second win of the tournament and is now just one win away from securing a second European Championship medal.
Harrington’s victory also ensured the Irish team maintained their 100% start to the Championships.
Harrington won a tight first round against the Turkish fighter 3-2 before landing more shots in the second, taking the round 4-1.
And the 32-year old survived a third round rally by Gizem to take the bout on a split-decision win.
Harrington will be back in the ring for her quarter-final bout against England’s Shona Whithall on Wednesday.
Earlier on Saturday, Belfast duo Carly McNaul and Michaela Walsh also both moved to within a win of medals as they extended Ireland’s perfect start in Budva.
While McNaul was an impressive unanimous winner over Romania’s Ana Alexandra Gheorghe in their lightweight bout, Walsh needed an eye-catching finale against French featherweight Amina Zidani to tip the fine balance of a split decision in her favour.
McNaul’s relentless pressure took its toll late in the opening round as she backed up Gheorghe onto the ropes and forced a standing count.
The second round followed a similar pattern, again resulting in a standing count for Gheorghe late on, before the Ormeau Road boxer closed out a dominant performance in the third.
Two judges scored it an impressive 30-25 in McNaul’s favour alongside a 30-26 and two 30-27 cards.
Up next is a medal bout against Olena Savchuk in Tuesday afternoon’s 52kg quarter-finals, after the Italian stopped Zeynab Rahimova of Azerbaijan in the final round of their last-16 bout.
Meanwhile, Walsh — who is hoping to add another European medal to the bronze she won at these championships in Sofia four years ago — was pushed all the way by Zidani.
Zidani led 20-18 on two cards, with the other three judges calling it all square at 19-19, ahead of the final three minutes.
But it was a determined Walsh who refused to relent in the decisive moments, doing enough to win the round in the eyes of all five judges, giving her a 3:2 split decision victory — 29-28 x 3, 28-29 x 2.
The Emerald BC boxer will now face Romania’s Claudia Nechita in the 57kg quarter-finals on Tuesday afternoon.
