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.

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.

WITH John Joe Joyce set to get the show on the road in the early hours of today Irish time, the Irish boxing team were last night perusing what High Performance Director, Gary Keegan, described as a ‘fair’ draw for the world championships in Chicago.