James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
– Niall Kelly reports from Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro
ON THURSDAY, A few minutes after he had boxed his way into an Olympic medal fight that few expected, Steven Donnelly looked down at his left arm.
“I’m justifying my tattoos now,” he said, the inked words ‘redemption’ and ‘dedication’ looking back at him.
In what has been a dismal Olympic Games for Ireland in the ring so far, Ballymena’s Donnelly is one of the few who can walk away from Rio with his standing enhanced and his head held high.
He won two bouts to give himself a crack at a medal, and there was no disgrace in the manner of his defeat to the welterweight divison’s top seed, the reigning world champions Mohammed Rabii.
Edged out in a tight first round and on the back foot from that point on, Donnelly lost a split decision (29-27, 29-27, 27-29) as Rabii continued his march towards gold.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Perhaps the Puerto Rican judge looked a little bit too kindly on Donnelly. He scored both of the final two rounds in his favour, despite the fact that he was given two standing counts in the third by referee Rakhymzhan Rysbayev of Kazakshtan.
Even a point deduction for Rabii in the third couldn’t tilt the fight in his favour.
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“I gave it my all in there,” Donnelly said afterwards, his left eye a worrying shade of purple, battle scars from his win in the last 16 on Thursday.
“I came away from these Games very proud. Nobody expected me to get this far only myself, the club coaches and the Irish coaches.
“I can walk away proud. I would have loved to bring home a medal back home to everyone but it was not to be.”
How far he has come since his moment of shame at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. Caught drinking in the Athletes’ Village, in breach of Northern Ireland team rules, he was expelled from the camp and sent home.
Boxing became an afterthought. Donnelly, by his own admission, started “drinking himself into oblivion”; court appearances followed before too long.
It was two years before he boxed again competitively but bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 was a timely reminder of his potential. Focus quickly turned to Rio and Donnelly, taking his chance in the World Series of Boxing, qualified.
“Redemption is not about winning,” he said after Saturday’s defeat to Rabii.
“I came back from where I was and I proved myself there. This is the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games against the current number one and world champion.
“I did myself very proud out there and everyone back home. The whole nation’s very proud of me, I would say.
“I’d say there’s loads of kids watching as well. If that inspired them, then I’ve come away from here doing something positive.”
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
He added: “I’m there now (at Rabii’s level). I’m very inexperienced. I’ve only had 10 or 11 Irish internationals and some fights in the WSB whereas he’s maybe had hundreds.
“Maybe I’m a bit behind in the experience department but I did myself proud in there and I’ll only get better, no matter what I do.”
Donnelly’s defeat, and defeat for Brendan Irvine in his opening flyweight bout earlier on Saturday, leaves Ireland’s medal hopes squarely on the shoulders of Michael Conlan and Katie Taylor.
Conlan opens his bid for bantamweight gold on Sunday (3.30pm Irish) when he takes on Armenia’s Avagyan in the last 16.
Then it’s the turn of Taylor on Monday (3pm Irish) as she begins the defence of her Olympic title with a medal fight against Finland’s Mira Potkonen.
“It was (tough),” 20-year-old Irvine said after he was outclassed in a unanimous decision by Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov.
“It was a great experience as well, you know, the Olympic Games. I just lost to the better man on the day.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“I had a good game plan going into the fight but unfortunately I got caught with some stinging shots in the first round and I had to change it.
“I was always trailing from behind. I just had to dig deep and give it everything.”
Irvine hopes that the experience will stand to him as he continues to develop.
“The Olympic Games, the 10,000 best athletes in the world. It’s a great achievement for me, 20 years of age, to be able to represent my country and my family.”
Steven Donnelly finds redemption, but no medal, as Ireland turn to Conlan and Taylor
– Niall Kelly reports from Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro
ON THURSDAY, A few minutes after he had boxed his way into an Olympic medal fight that few expected, Steven Donnelly looked down at his left arm.
“I’m justifying my tattoos now,” he said, the inked words ‘redemption’ and ‘dedication’ looking back at him.
In what has been a dismal Olympic Games for Ireland in the ring so far, Ballymena’s Donnelly is one of the few who can walk away from Rio with his standing enhanced and his head held high.
He won two bouts to give himself a crack at a medal, and there was no disgrace in the manner of his defeat to the welterweight divison’s top seed, the reigning world champions Mohammed Rabii.
Edged out in a tight first round and on the back foot from that point on, Donnelly lost a split decision (29-27, 29-27, 27-29) as Rabii continued his march towards gold.
Perhaps the Puerto Rican judge looked a little bit too kindly on Donnelly. He scored both of the final two rounds in his favour, despite the fact that he was given two standing counts in the third by referee Rakhymzhan Rysbayev of Kazakshtan.
Even a point deduction for Rabii in the third couldn’t tilt the fight in his favour.
“I gave it my all in there,” Donnelly said afterwards, his left eye a worrying shade of purple, battle scars from his win in the last 16 on Thursday.
“I came away from these Games very proud. Nobody expected me to get this far only myself, the club coaches and the Irish coaches.
“I can walk away proud. I would have loved to bring home a medal back home to everyone but it was not to be.”
Hotline Rings: Rio 2016 / SoundCloud
How far he has come since his moment of shame at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. Caught drinking in the Athletes’ Village, in breach of Northern Ireland team rules, he was expelled from the camp and sent home.
Boxing became an afterthought. Donnelly, by his own admission, started “drinking himself into oblivion”; court appearances followed before too long.
It was two years before he boxed again competitively but bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 was a timely reminder of his potential. Focus quickly turned to Rio and Donnelly, taking his chance in the World Series of Boxing, qualified.
“Redemption is not about winning,” he said after Saturday’s defeat to Rabii.
“I came back from where I was and I proved myself there. This is the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games against the current number one and world champion.
“I did myself very proud out there and everyone back home. The whole nation’s very proud of me, I would say.
“I’d say there’s loads of kids watching as well. If that inspired them, then I’ve come away from here doing something positive.”
He added: “I’m there now (at Rabii’s level). I’m very inexperienced. I’ve only had 10 or 11 Irish internationals and some fights in the WSB whereas he’s maybe had hundreds.
“Maybe I’m a bit behind in the experience department but I did myself proud in there and I’ll only get better, no matter what I do.”
Donnelly’s defeat, and defeat for Brendan Irvine in his opening flyweight bout earlier on Saturday, leaves Ireland’s medal hopes squarely on the shoulders of Michael Conlan and Katie Taylor.
Conlan opens his bid for bantamweight gold on Sunday (3.30pm Irish) when he takes on Armenia’s Avagyan in the last 16.
Then it’s the turn of Taylor on Monday (3pm Irish) as she begins the defence of her Olympic title with a medal fight against Finland’s Mira Potkonen.
“It was (tough),” 20-year-old Irvine said after he was outclassed in a unanimous decision by Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov.
“It was a great experience as well, you know, the Olympic Games. I just lost to the better man on the day.
“I had a good game plan going into the fight but unfortunately I got caught with some stinging shots in the first round and I had to change it.
“I was always trailing from behind. I just had to dig deep and give it everything.”
Irvine hopes that the experience will stand to him as he continues to develop.
“The Olympic Games, the 10,000 best athletes in the world. It’s a great achievement for me, 20 years of age, to be able to represent my country and my family.”
McCurley’s Rio hopes over after defeat in keirin repechage
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