CELTIC rivals will collide for a coveted Olympic Games spot when Commonwealth Games gold medallists Amy Broadhurst and Rosie Eccles go toe-to-toe in the semi-final of the European qualifier in Poland.
Reaching the last four is enough to guarantee a place at Paris 2024, and on Monday evening welterweights Broadhurst and Eccles both advanced to set up an intriguing showdown on Wednesday afternoon.
Broadhurst has bounced back impressively from Irish final defeat to Grainne Walsh at the beginning of the year, building into 66kg and steadily showing she is a force to be reckoned with at her new weight class, after landing World and European golds at 63kg in a glorious 2022.
The Dundalk woman swept to victory over Latvia’s Beatrise Rozentale, landing the cross left at will and forcing three standing counts between the second and third rounds to advance with ease.
In the next fight, Eccles proved too strong for Assunta Canfora, claiming a 4-1 split decision win over the Italian.
Sean Mari couldn’t make it a clean sweep for the Irish though, the Dublin flyweight bowing out at the hands of slick Spaniard Martin Molina in Monday night’s last 16 showdown.
Meanwhile, after spending so long in the shadow of Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington stands on the cusp of a second Olympic Games after moving into the last eight of the European Paris 2024 qualifier.
While Taylor had the lightweight spot sewn up after winning a slew of titles at all levels, Harrington’s Olympic ambitions had to remain on hold until the Bray woman turned over to the professional ranks after the Rio Games.
She has grabbed the opportunity in incredible fashion, winning World gold in 2018 before reaching the top of podium in Tokyo at the delayed Olympics three years later. Now, at 33, Harrington’s dream of defending that crown has moved another step closer.
Reaching the semi-final at the European Games would be enough to book her spot in Paris, and on Monday Harrington eased past Armenia’s Elida Kocharyan to move into the last eight, where Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson is up next on Wednesday afternoon.
Having struggled at times in her first outing against Miroslava Jedinakova, eventually taking a 4-1 split decision over the tall, awkward Slovak. Monday’s last 16 bout saw a return to form, however, as Harrington came flying out of the blocks, a strong combination forcing Kocharyan into a standing count early in the first.
The Armenian tried to take the fight to the Olympic champion in the second and third rounds but Harrington was too slick, counter-punching beautifully at times to coast across the line. All five judges gave the final round to Harrington, with two scoring it 10-8 in her favour.
And while watching Harrington’s hand being raised represented another victory for Ireland’s old guard, the new blood coming behind showed exactly what they are made of to keep their Olympic dreams alive.
Heavyweight Jack Marley is the most exciting ‘big man’ Ireland have produced since Joe Ward burst onto the scene over a decade ago, and the 20-year-old added to his burgeoning reputation with a split decision victory over Vagkan Nanitzanian.
The experienced Greek, who was too good for Luxembourg’s former Holy Family fighter Michel Erpelding in the last 32, struggled to get to grips with Marley’s pinpoint punching in the second and third rounds, with the ringside doctor twice examining a swollen left eye before allowing the fight to carry on.
Dubliner Marley - who must reach the heavyweight final to secure his Paris 2024 spot - punched the air as he got the nod on a 4-1 split decision to set up a quarter-final clash with Croatia’s Marko Calic on Wednesday afternoon.
Middleweight Kelyn Cassidy, meanwhile, is just one fight away from Olympic qualification after getting the better of Britain's Taylor Jay Bevin – win number two in a matter of days for the Waterford man, though he faces a huge task in Wednesday’s quarter-final clash with Oleksandr Khyzhniak.
Cassidy edged out Bevin in a tight encounter, clearly winning the first and third rounds, but will need a career-best international performance to get past Ukraine’s Khyzhniak – a 2020 Olympic silver medallist who has also picked up gold at previous European Games and European Championships.
The first of the Irish contingent between the ropes on Monday was bantamweight Jennifer Lehane, who dug deep to get past Antonia Filippa Giannakopoulou from Greece.
Lehane took a while to figure out the wily Giannakopoulou, who was the aggressor in the early stages, with the Meath teacher given an early warning from the referee.
But she recovered impressively, boxing brilliantly at middle distance to wrestle back control and seal a quarter-final date with Bulgaria’s 2014 World champion Stanimira Petrova on Wednesday – an Olympic spot the prize on offer as the pressure begins to crank up.
Meanwhile, Belfast feather Michaela Walsh can move a step closer to boxing at a second Olympic Games when she faces Turkey’s Aysen Tasken on Tuesday evening, having successfully seen off Greece’s Olga Papadatou on Saturday.
Making their bow at the European Games in Poland on Tuesday are talented flyweight Daina Moorehouse, who faces Ukraine’s experienced Tetiana Kob, while Tokyo Olympian Aoife O’Rourke takes on Cindy Ngamba (European Olympic Committee Refugee Team) in the middleweight last 16.
Also joining Monday’s winners in action on Wednesday is Dean Clancy – one of the stars of the Irish team thus far.
The Sligo lightweight’s clever movement bamboozled Austria’s Arsen Chabyan on the way to a unanimous decision win in his opening bout on Friday, before stepping up in class to overcome Azerbaijan’s Malek Hasanov on Sunday.
That victory left him one win from qualifying for Paris 2024, but first he must overcome Italian Gianluigi Malanga. Given how impressively he has performed thus far, it is a fight Clancy will fancy.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday
50kg round of 16: Daina Moorehouse v Tetiana Kob (Ukraine) (5.15pm)
57kg round of 16: Michaela Walsh v Aysen Tasken (Turkey) (5.30pm)
75kg round of 16: Aoife O’Rourke v Cindy Ngamba (EOC) (6.15pm)
Wednesday
60kg quarter-final: Kellie Harrington v Agnes Alexiusson (Sweden) (12.15pm)
66kg quarter-final: Amy Broadhurst v Rosie Eccles (Great Britain) (12.45pm)
63.5kg quarter-final: Dean Clancy v Gianluigi Malanga (Italy) (1.45pm)
80kg quarter-final: Kelyn Cassidy v Oleksandr Khyzniak (Ukraine) (2.30pm)
92kg quarter-final: Jack Marley v Marko Calic (Croatia) (2.45pm)
