It is very hard to believe, shocking, shameful and totally unacceptable that no safety helmets were worn at the World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan.

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the President Michael D Higgins are leading tributes this morning to the Irish boxer Katie Taylor.

JOHN JOE NEVIN bowed out of the World Boxing Championships in Baku yesterday after losing his bantamweight semi-final against Luke Campbell on a countback after the judges’ scoring tied the pair at 12 points apiece at end of three thrilling rounds.

BAKU delivered us some memorable images this week. Not least when Marty Morrissey, bearing the fixed grin of a man who knew what he was talking about, assured us that the Azerbaijani capital was “a romantic city, full of love”.

Ireland's John Joe Nevin has lost his semi-final in Baku at the World Boxing Championships.

John Joe Nevin has guaranteed himself a bronze medal at the very least with a win in his quarter-final at the World boxing championships in Baku.

HIGH Performance coach Billy Walsh set a target of three qualifiers for next year’s Olympic Games going into the World Boxing Championships in Baku and that was achieved yesterday with last 16 victories for Darren O’Neill, John Joe Nevin and Belfast teenager Michael Conlon.

It has been another successful day for the Irish boxers at the World Boxing Championships in Azerbaijan.

MICHAEL CONLAN got Ireland off to a flying start at the World Boxing Championships in Baku yesterday when he thrashed European bronze medallist Alexandr Riscan (Moldova) 25-12 in a thrilling flyweight contest.

CUBAN heavyweight Jose Larduet Gomez, issued a warning to Ireland’s Olympic silver medallist, Kenny Egan, when he stopped Lubos Valecky (Czech Republic) two minutes and 20 seconds into the first round of his preliminary bout at the World boxing championships in Baku yesterday.

John Joe Nevin has missed out on a silver medal at the World Boxing Championships in Milan.

DECLAN GERAGHTY earned his place among the last 16 flyweights when outpointing Mumin Veli of Macedonia 11-9 at the World boxing championships in Milan yesterday.

Ireland's Paddy Barnes has qualified for next year's Olympics in Beijing after reaching the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Championships in Chicago.

KENNETH EGAN and surprise packets Paddy Barnes and Eric Donovan provide an interesting blend of youth and experience in what will be all-out war for places in the top eight at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago.

THREE fighters from Romania were thrown out of the World Boxing Championships after they were caught trying to steal from a department store in Chicago.

Irish middleweight Darren Sutherland is through to the last 16 at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago.

Irish heavyweight John Sweeney has beaten Serbian Branko Srdic at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago, after the referee stopped the contest near the end of round four.

ERIC DONOVAN kept Irish spirits on a high with an emphatic if not sensational 33-17 victory over a highly-rated Hungarian lightweight, Miklos Varga, at the World Boxing Championships in Chicago last night.

There were two Irish fighters in action last evening at the World Boxing Championships.

Ireland’s top athletes received a boost in their bid for glory at World and European level today through a €7m funding package.

A DAY of contrasting fortunes for Irish competitors at the World Boxing Championships in Mianyang, China, yesterday.

Irish Featherweight Eric Donovan has beaten Canadian Usmanee Arash 31-12 to qualify for the final 16 of the World Boxing Championships in China.

Ireland will be represented by five boxers at the XIII World Senior Boxing Championships that will be staged in 11 Olympic Weight Classes (48 kgs - + 91 kgs) in Mianyang City, China, beginning today.

IRELAND’S Andy Murray lost his bout at the World Boxing Championships in Thailand yesterday.

John Treacy, chief executive of the Sports Council, has said Richard Burrows’ challenge to Pat Hickey for the Olympic Council of Ireland presidency is healthy for Irish sport.