Team Ireland secured three wins at the Olympic boxing qualifiers in London on Sunday as Emmet Brennan, George Bates and Afanasev Kirill advanced to the last 16.
That made it three wins out of four for Bernard Dunne’s team, with Christina Desmond losing her welterweight bout to Angela Carina by unanimous decision.
Desmond now must go through the World qualification leg, set to take place in Paris, if she hoped to make it to Japan this summer.
Brennan, Bates and Afanasev will now progress to the next stage of European qualification.
It was Brennan who got the ball rolling for Team Ireland as he stopped his Bosnian opponent Radenko Tomic in the second round of their light heavyweight bout.
Bates was the next Irish competitor to secure a win, as the 63 kilo competitor came out on top against his Spanish opponent Leon Dominguez Becerra.
The fight was won in somewhat unusual fashion as the fight was stopped after Beceraa suffered a bad cut over his eye after a head clash, leading the bout to be stopped with the win awarded to the Irishman.
Afasanev, a Dubliner with Russian heritage, secured Ireland’s last victory of the day, winning his 91 kilo bout against Georgia’s Nikoloz Begadze by split decision.
Five more Irish boxers are in action today with welterweight Aidan Walsh taking on Spaniard Pavel Kamanin while middleweight Michael Nevin faces Dutch fighter Pas der Van.
Brendan Irvine will fight Istavan Szaka in the last 16 of the men’s flyweight division with Carly McNaul going up against British boxer Charley Davison in the women’s flyweight division.
Featherweight fighter Kurt Walker takes on Germany’s Hamsat Shadolov in the last of five fights with Irish interest.
The bouts, taking place at the Copper Box in London, took place behind closed doors and will continue in front of no fans today due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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