Irish boxers win in Chicago

RTE reports of a great boxing event for the Irish in Chicago
Paddy Barnes, appearing in his first World Championships, set the tone for what turned out to be a very successful day for Irish amateur boxing as four fighters won through in Chicago.
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Barnes, at 48kg, was not fancied going in against the Korean Jon Kuk Choi but the young Belfast man took the fight to his more experienced opponent from the outset and never looked out of place, and by the time they headed into the final round the Holy Trinity man was 20-15 ahead.
He refused to settle for that and pushed on causing the Korean to take a count after landing a right and left combination. It finished 33-19 and Barnes now fights in the last 32 on Sunday next against Sadegh Faraj Zade of Israel.
Eric Donovan is competing at his first major championships at 60kg, and didn't look out of his dept against Hungarian Miklos Vargas, the Athy man won through in the end on a 39-22 score, the highest in the division.
Donovan now boxes on Sunday for a place in the last 16 against awkward Dominican fighter Jonathon Batista.

Performance of the day came at welterweight from Roy Sheehan. The 22-year-old was drawn against Athens Olympic bronze medallist Sang-in Han, but Sheehan refused to be overawed.
The fight begun tentatively and the St Michael's man just edged it 4-3 at the end of the first. He was to work from distance in the second before the dangerous Korean landed a left under his chin and the Irishman hit the deck.
He took the count and thankfully avoided trouble from there to the bell. But his comeback was astounding - Sheehan gave an exhibition of how it should be done from there on in and caught Han with a variety of punches of which the Korean had no reply.
He bobbed and weaved, frustrating Han, and outscored him 25-2 in the closing four minutes, winning 22-7 in the end.
Sheehan looks like the real deal and could go far, his next opponent will be Azerbijan fighter Rusian Khairov, also on Sunday.

And Irish captain Kenny Egan was not to be outdone winning his opening round bout at 81kg on the 20-point rule at the end of the second round against Julius Jackson from the Virgin Isles.
Egan had contracted a bug overnight and at one time was a doubt whether or not he would box at all. He managed to put that firmly behind him and now looks ahead to a meeting with Ecuador's Julio Castillo Torres on Sunday.

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Irish boxers win in Chicago