KURT WALKER HAS sealed at least bronze — Ireland’s second medal — at the EU Championships in Valladolid after a dominant victory over Jaroslaw Iwanow of Poland in his quarter-final.
The Lisburn bantamweight cruised to a unanimous decision on scores of 30-26 x4 and 30-27, and joins Galway welterweight Kieran Molloy in reaching the last four in their respective weight classes.
Walker, Michael Conlan’s close friend and successor at 56kg, will face Georgian Artyush Gomtsyan in his semi-final on Saturday. Molloy fights English standout Pat McCormack at 69 on the same day.
There was disappointment today, however, for middleweight Michael Nevin, who had his own pursuit of a medal ended by a reopened cut in his fight with England’s Carl Fail.
The fight had just begun to simmer in the middle round when a ringside doctor ordered it be stopped on account of Nevin’s cut, which he had initially suffered in his bruising last-16 victory.
Fail was up on three judges’ scorecards when the bout was called to a halt, with Nevin leading on one and the other being dead level.
The British talent will face Italy’s European silver medallist Salvatore Cavallaro in the last four.
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