Boxing:Ireland's John Joe Nevin faces England's Luke Campbell tomorrow in the semi-final of the AIBA world championships. The bantamweight, who has secured at least a bronze medal, has come back from behind in his last two fights in Baku to win dramatically in the third round.
Nevin, who won the bronze medal two years ago in Milan, was also a European Union (only countries in the EU participate) champion in 2008 and claimed an EU silver medal winner in 2009.
Despite being relatively young at 22-years-old, Nevin has had four years of experience at the top level of amateur boxing. An Olympian at 18-years-old, he came home from Beijing disappointed in not having made the podium along with light flyweight Paddy Barnes, light heavyweight Ken Egan and the late Darren Sutherland, who won middleweight bronze.
It will not be the first time the Irishman has faced Campbell as the two met in the semi-finals of the EU Championships in Denmark in 2009 with Nevin winning 13-2 despite the Englishman earning European Championship gold in Liverpool in 2008.
Nevin’s 19-17 win over Uzbekistan’s Orzubek Shayimov in the quarter-final makes him the only male Irish boxer to have won senior medals in two world championships. Bray lightweight Katie Taylor has won three gold medals at senior AIBA world championships level.
Seeded at four for the championships, Nevin is the highest ranked boxer remaining. Campbell is unseeded, while Anwar Yusunov is sixth and Cuban Lazaro Alvarez was unseeded.
Nevin is expected to be in the ring at approximately 11.30am Irish time. His medal, whatever hue, means that Ireland have now won seven world championships medals overall.
Light-middleweight:Tommy Corr (Clonoe, Tyrone) Munich 1982 Bronze; Light-welterweight: Michael Carruth (Drimnagh) Moscow 1989 Bronze; Flyweight:Damaen Kelly (Holy Trinity, Belfast) Tampere 1993 Bronze; Light-heavyweight:Stephen Kirk (Cairn Lodge) Budapest 1997 Bronze; Welterweight:James Moore (Arklow) Belfast 2001 Bronze; Bantamweight:John Joe Nevin (Cavan) Milan 2009 Bronze; Bantamweight:John Joe Nevin (Cavan) Baku (at least Bronze)
