McConnell Secures Ireland's First Medal At Europeans

Jon McConnell secured the first medal for Team Ireland at the European Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, edging Italy's Gabriele Guidi Rontani 3-2 in a tight 75kg quarter-final on Monday.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist advanced despite both boxers receiving point deductions in the final round of what the BBC described as a closely-contested affair. The Belfast fighter will face Azerbaijan's Nabi Isgandarov in Wednesday's semi-final. "It was a close fight, a tough fight," McConnell told Boxing Ireland after the win. "He just wouldn't stop, was dirty with the head but I just kept my composure in the last round and finished strong in the last 30 seconds."

Walsh And Gallagher Join McConnell In Semi-Finals

Michaela Walsh swept all three rounds on every card against Montenegro's Bojana Gojkovic at featherweight, dominating her first outing in Bulgaria. The Belfast boxer meets home fighter Stanimira Petrova on Wednesday for a guaranteed medal spot. Walsh said she was thankful to show up with a strong performance after preparing her tactics, per Boxing Ireland.

County Tyrone's Jude Gallagher rallied from a first-round deficit to stop France's Lounes Hamraoi in the third at lightweight. Trailing on four cards after the opening frame, Gallagher shifted tactics and forced standing counts before the referee waved it off. He faces Cuban-born Spanish boxer Ewart Andrés Marín Hernández in the quarter-finals Wednesday.

Kellie McLoughlin lost a 4-1 split decision to France's Sthélyne Grosy at lightweight, while middleweight Gavin Rafferty dropped a unanimous decision to Poland's Mateusz Urban with a point deducted in the final round. Ireland's medal contenders return to the ring Wednesday in Sofia.

Source: bbc.co.uk