Boxing: Paddy Barnes eased to within two wins of qualifying for his third successive Olympics after the USA threw in the towel in Italy on Saturday night.

KENNETH EGAN has joined Paul McCloskey in the semi-finals of their respective Olympic qualifying tournaments, just two fights away from qualification for Athens.

PAUL McCLOSKEY is just two fights away from the Olympics after another resounding win at the qualifying tournament in Warsaw last night where he overwhelmed the highly rated Croatian, Borna Katalinic 40-19 to advance to the quarter-finals.