Boxing:European champion David Oliver Joyce and Willie McLaughlin stretched Ireland's winning streak to five wins in a row following two resounding victories at the AIBA World Championships in Milan today.
The brace of wins ensured that nine Irish boxers are now through to the last 32 stage of the 15th edition of the Championships at the Mediolanum Forum in Italy.
McLaughlin, who boxes out of the Illies Golden Gloves club in Donegal, stopped Come Ndyishmiye of Burundi in the first round. Ndyishmiye was 6-0 down when the referee halted the welterweight contest after he took two standing counts in a one-sided 69Kg decider.
Joyce, meanwhile, blew away the challenge of Thai fighter Wuttichai Masuk, chalking up a resounding 28-3 win over three, three minute rounds. Joyce was totally on top from the opening bell of a fight which would have been stopped on the old 20 rule, a rule abolished last year.
Masuk took two standing counts in the second and third round of this encounter as Joyce booked his ticket into the last two where he'll meet Mexican, Oscar Valdez.
IABA President Dominic O'Rourke, who is Joyce's coach at St Michael's Athy, reckons that Valdez will be a tough one - and warned everyone not to get carried away.
He said: "David and the Mexican lad have very similar styles so we will be expecting a very tough battle next Sunday morning. David was magnificent against Masuk, he was in top form.”
"We now have nine of our boxers through to the last thirty two. But it will start getting very competitive from this point on so the important thing is that we all keep our feet firmly on the ground."
Meanwhile, two Irish boxers will be in action tomorrow in the last 32 phase of a tournament which has attracted over 100 nations.
Dublin Docklands ace Declan Geraghty meets Mumin Veli of Macedonia tomorrow morning at flyweight and Eric Donovan faces Indian lightweight Jai Bhagwan.
Paddy Barnes, a bronze medal winner at the Beijing Olympics will be in action on Saturday against Peter Munkai of Kenya.