IRELAND’S PATSY JOYCE has earned the right to box for a World Championship medal on Wednesday — but faces an anxious wait to see if a cut over his eye heals in time for him to fight.
Mullingar’s Joyce downed reigning Olympic bronze medalist Javier Ibanez of Bulgaria with a 3-2 decision in Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon.
But the fight was cut short towards the end of the second round after an existing cut over Joyce’s left eye reopened, forcing the referee to step in and stop the contest early.
The five ringside judges proceeded to score the fight based on the action to that point, with three judges scoring it 19-18 in Joyce’s favour and two 19-18 in Ibanez’s favour.
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Joyce had raced into an early advantage, winning the opening round on four cards, and had Ibanez in further trouble with a standing count in the second.
Referee Chia-Chan Lin of Chinese Taipei then deducted a point from Joyce for illegal use of the head before the fight was stopped moments later due to the Irish fighter’s injury.
Joyce now faces a race to be fit for Wednesday’s medal bout against Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan, where victory would guarantee his place in the 55kg semi-finals and a bronze medal at minimum.
Lisa O’Rourke bowed out at the quarter-final stage in the women’s 70kg division against top seed Lekeisha Pergoliti of Australia. O’Rourke was fighting for a medal, but lost out on the narrowest of margins, a 3-2 split.
She contested a highly physical, high-tempo bout against Pergoliti, the judges scored the bout 28-29, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28, 29-28.
There was disappointment, too, for Dean Clancy in his 65kg contest.
The 23-year-old from Sligo was beaten 5-0 by Lasha Guruli, the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, and a multiple medalist at World and European level.
The judges scored the bout in the Georgian’s favour: 30:27, 30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 30:27
Brian Kennedy similarly suffered heartbreak in his 85kg encounter with Danylo Zhasan.
The Ukrainian was the unanimous 5-0 victor.
The judges all scored in favour of the Offaly native’s opponent — 30:26, 30:26, 30:25, 30:26, 30:26.
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Ireland's Joyce earns shot at World Championship medal, trio bow out
LAST UPDATE | 9 Sep 2025
Updated at 22.29
IRELAND’S PATSY JOYCE has earned the right to box for a World Championship medal on Wednesday — but faces an anxious wait to see if a cut over his eye heals in time for him to fight.
Mullingar’s Joyce downed reigning Olympic bronze medalist Javier Ibanez of Bulgaria with a 3-2 decision in Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon.
But the fight was cut short towards the end of the second round after an existing cut over Joyce’s left eye reopened, forcing the referee to step in and stop the contest early.
The five ringside judges proceeded to score the fight based on the action to that point, with three judges scoring it 19-18 in Joyce’s favour and two 19-18 in Ibanez’s favour.
Joyce had raced into an early advantage, winning the opening round on four cards, and had Ibanez in further trouble with a standing count in the second.
Referee Chia-Chan Lin of Chinese Taipei then deducted a point from Joyce for illegal use of the head before the fight was stopped moments later due to the Irish fighter’s injury.
Joyce now faces a race to be fit for Wednesday’s medal bout against Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan, where victory would guarantee his place in the 55kg semi-finals and a bronze medal at minimum.
Lisa O’Rourke bowed out at the quarter-final stage in the women’s 70kg division against top seed Lekeisha Pergoliti of Australia. O’Rourke was fighting for a medal, but lost out on the narrowest of margins, a 3-2 split.
She contested a highly physical, high-tempo bout against Pergoliti, the judges scored the bout 28-29, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28, 29-28.
There was disappointment, too, for Dean Clancy in his 65kg contest.
The 23-year-old from Sligo was beaten 5-0 by Lasha Guruli, the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, and a multiple medalist at World and European level.
The judges scored the bout in the Georgian’s favour: 30:27, 30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 30:27
Brian Kennedy similarly suffered heartbreak in his 85kg encounter with Danylo Zhasan.
The Ukrainian was the unanimous 5-0 victor.
The judges all scored in favour of the Offaly native’s opponent — 30:26, 30:26, 30:25, 30:26, 30:26.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
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Boxing Patsy Joyce World Boxing Championships