PADDY BARNES became the first Irish boxer to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games with an emphatic 33-12 points victory over the highly-rated Japanese champion, Kenju Ohkubo, in an action-packed contest at the world championships in Chicago yesterday.

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.

All five Irish boxers have made this mornings weigh-in for this afternoons European Union Championships finals at the National Stadium in Dublin.

Featherweight Carl Frampton created Irish boxing history tonight following a clinical victory over Latvian Denis Zabins in the quarter final of the European Union Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin.

CATHAL McMONAGLE was rewarded for perseverance last night when the referee stopped his super heavyweight contest with 30 seconds remaining to send him through to tomorrow’s quarter final stages of the European Union boxing championships at the National Stadium.

Irish super heavyweight Cathal McMonagle advanced to the quarter finals of the European Union Boxing Championships after his opponent Kurban Gunebakan from Turkey was retired by the ref following a cut over his right eye in the fourth round at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.

ERIC DONOVAN was handed the featherweight berth on the Irish team for the European Union Boxing Championships when his clubmate, John Joe Joyce, moved up to welterweight, and now he wants to create the sensation of the tournament when he meets the three-time champion, Domenico Valentino of Italy, in his quarter-final bout at the National Stadium tomorrow.

Flyweight Conor Ahern got Irelands European Union Championships campaign off to a flying start with a thrilling 20-19 victory over England's Stewart Langley at the National Stadium in Dublin today.