LAST UPDATE | 31 May
GRÁINNE WALSH WILL fight for Olympic qualification on Sunday morning after coming through her last-16 bout in the 66kg division in style on Friday.
But Aidan Walsh will have to win a four-man box-off this weekend to book his ticket to Paris after two point deductions cost him in the final Olympic qualification tournament in Bangkok.
The Tokyo bronze medallist lost a 4-1 split decision to Jordanian Zeyad Eashash, which was decided by public warnings in the second and third rounds for excessive holding.
The Belfast light middleweight’s hopes of becoming a two-time Olympian now rest on the 71kg box-off, where he must win two bouts this weekend to secure the fifth and final qualification berth.
Walsh appeared well placed after a tactical first round saw him emerge on top of all five judges’ scorecards.
The back-foot fighter was twice warned, however, by the Guatemalan referee over a lack of engagement. That forced a change of approach as the second round wore on and once Eashash began to press forward, Walsh found himself in trouble.
He received a public warning for excessive holding but still did enough to tie the round 9-9 with three judges (while the other two went 10-8 for Eashash) and held a narrow lead into the third.
But Walsh continued to be spoken to by the referee and when he was again called for holding, it led to a public warning and another point docked.
Being compelled to trade toe-to-toe favoured the Jordanian and he did enough, winning on all but one scorecard: 29-26, 29-26, 28-27, 28-27, 27-28.
Meanwhile, Tullamore’s Gráinne Walsh is just one win from making her Olympic debut after she earned a unanimous decision over Ivorian Sedia Sanogo in the 66kg last 16.
Walsh returns to the ring on Sunday where she will face Armenia’s Ani Hovsepyan to decide their Olympic fate.
Earlier on Friday, Daina Moorehouse won her opening fight to progress to last 16 of the flyweight division.
The Enniskerry boxer received a split-decision win against Armenia’s Anush Grigoryan, with a 4-1 majority from the judges.
She took the first round on all but one of the scorecards before convincing all five in the second. From there, it was a matter of holding her advantage to the finish.
Moorehouse needs two more victories to secure her Olympic qualification and will box again on Saturday.
Meanwhile, former world and European champion for Ireland Amy Broadhurst has fallen short in her bid to qualify for Team GB.
The Dundalk lightweight switched allegiance after she was not selected for this Olympic qualifier by the IABA.
She lost a 4-1 split decision to South Korean Yeon-Ji Oh. The contest was level for three judges heading into the final round but Oh took the last to advance.
– Additional reporting by Niall Kelly