Ireland’s gold medal boxing success creates Olympic-sized headaches

When the gold dust settles, the Irish coaching team will sit down and consider the seven European medals just won in Montenegro. The three new European Champions (Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Aoife O’Rourke), the two world champions (Broadhurst and Lisa O’Rourke), the Olympic gold medallist (Harrington) — and begin to contemplate the headache coming down the Olympic tracks.

The success in Montenegro, whether it’s a high point or a launch pad for greater things, means that thoughts for nominations for Paris 2024 will not be far away. The Irish team did not just top the European medals table this time around but also came second to Turkey in the World Championships medal table earlier this year in Istanbul.

In terms of weight, Harrington is 60kg, Broadhurst 63kg, Lisa O’Rourke 70kg and Aoife O’Rourke 75kg. The new weight divisions in women’s boxing for Paris covering that spread are 60kg, 66kg and 75kg. That tussle of four into three will require some sharp elbows when the time comes. It’s called a nice headache.

At the European Championships, Ireland’s first gold medal arrived with Harrington in the lightweight final against Lenka Bernadova. With Broadhurst immediately after against Ukraine’s Mariia Bova, there was a half-hour period in the Budva hall, where European boxing appeared to revolve around an Irish team.

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Harrington’s was not a high-scoring match, especially in the first round as she stalked the ring after her distant opponent who was hoping to counter punch off the Irish woman’s sporadic attacks. The more offensive of the pair in the short exchanges, it was Harrington’s tactical boxing that caught the eye of all five judges for a 5-0 first round. She wasn’t rushing into anything.

When she cracked in a scoring backhand right at the start of the second round, it marked an upward swing for the Olympic gold medallist. She then fell into a pattern of controlling the pace and scoring on opportunity; Bernadova largely backing away as the Dubliner padded around the canvas looking for openings.

Again, all the judges went with Ireland 5-0 for the second round sending the fight into an all or nothing hit out for the Czech. But Harrington’s measured game and her cranking up of the pressure and tempo saw her steadily through gold, in the end by unanimous decision.

They might have passed each other on the way, Harrington exiting and Broadhurst stepping into her light welterweight final.

With her force of nature aggression raining down on a bemused Mariia Bova, Broadhurst forced a standing count 25 seconds from the end of the first round.

A powerful left, one of many landed by Broadhurst, put the Ukrainian on to the ropes with the referee stepping in for the mandatory count. Broadhurst rarely took a backwards step throughout the nine minutes, her power punching combinations and dangerous backhand left connecting throughout.

She ransacked both the first and second rounds with a couple of 10-8 scores in the first and as it tumbled into a one sided third, there was no slowing. A majestic display of confidence and powerful shot making from the 25-year-old, her opponent in the end demolished and barely a need to consult the judges before her hand was raised.

Aoife O’Rourke took to her middleweight final similarly and flooded the zone with go forward, shot making.

Her southpaw opponent reacted positively but could not match the Castlerea energy and was driven back for most of the first round. One judge saw it in Poland’s favour but the rest sided with O’Rourke. That was the end of any doubts in judges’ minds.

In the second round, O’Rourke introduced more tempo and accuracy and with that Elzbieta Wojcik appeared to physically wilt. O’Rourke sensed it and in one short sequence Wojcik fell back against the ropes almost defenceless.

Two judges saw it one sided enough to score the round 10-8 as Ireland grew in stature. There was no way back for Poland then as the Castlerea middleweight continued in the same vein until the bell. It was, as everyone thought it would be. Unanimous.

Cork’s Christina Desmond in the 70kg final and Belfast’s Caitlin Fryers in the light flyweight final met two sharp opponents with Desmond coming from behind to narrowly lose on a split decision against Armenia’s Ani Hovsepyan.

Fryers met the Turkish Olympic silver medallist and world champion Buse Naz Cakiroglu, a slick southpaw who moved beautifully and even with Immaculata BC’s best firing in her shots, the short sharp counter punching won the day with no quibble.

Defeat in the end for Desmond and Fryers. But in a European final, the disappointment will have turned into looking like a very good week’s work in Montenegro.