KELLIE HARRINGTON IS through to the last 16 of the AIBA World Boxing Championships in New Dehli after earning a unanimous decision win over New Zealand slugger Troy Garton.
St. Mary’s stylist Harrington, a world silver medalist in 2016, was awarded the lightweight contest on judges’ scores of 30-26 x3 and 30-27 x2.
The cleaner boxing came from Harrington in a tense opener but Garton marched forward and caused plenty of disturbance up close, ruffling the 28-year-old Dubliner’s feathers at the very least.
The Kiwi landed a sequence of solid shots to begin the second but Harrington grew into the round, moving fluidly and finding a home for her counter left. A strong final minute saw Harrington take the round at a canter, and she only improved from that point onwards.
Garton poured forward to start the third, cognisant that the fight was likely beyond her unless she could do some major damage. Harrington, though — boxing largely out of the southpaw stance in the final verse — oozed class against her desperate opponent, complementing her probing left with a potent right cross.
In the last 30 seconds, the Irish champion rubber-stamped her superiority by going toe-to-toe with the rugged New Zealander and enjoying the better of a frenetic exchange.
Harrington will face India’s three-time world medalist Sarita Devi in the last 16 on Sunday, where her opponent will have significant support from her home crowd. Gráinne Walsh will also take to the ring on Sunday for her own last-16 clash versus either French or Argentinian opposition.
Four Irish fighters will lace up for their tournament openers tomorrow.
Cavan flyweight Ceire Smith takes on continental standout Gabriela Dimitrova of Bulgaria, Belfast featherweight Michaela Walsh fights Romania’s Lacramiora Perijoc, Dundalk’s Amy Broadhurst faces European bronze medalist Ekaterina Dynnik of Russia up at light-welter, and Roscommon middleweight Aoife O’Rourke will square off with Taiwan’s Yang Ya Chu.
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