Paddy Barnes believes fears surrounding the zika virus are overblown as the two-time Olympic medallist prepares for his third Games in Rio this summer.

AIBA World No. 3 ranked middleweight Michael O’Reilly secured his third successive Elite title at the National Stadium in Dublin last night.

Six of tonight’s 10 finals at the National Elite Championships are likely to have an impact on Olympic ambitions ahead of the Rio 2016 Games.

For the second time inside 11 months, Dean Walsh and Ray Moylette will clash in the standout bout at the finals of the National Elite Championships, but there is more on the line than national pride tonight (live on TG4 from 7.30pm).

Former European Elite and AIBA World Youth champion Ray Moylette believes he has a point to prove against Wexford’s Dean Walsh at the National Elite Championships at the National Stadium, Dublin.

Even now, after he’s gone and the Oireachtas hearing and the forest of newsprint his name and departure triggered, we don’t know what we’ve lost in Billy Walsh.

Defending light-welter champion Dean Walsh retained his title after edging out 2011 European gold medallist Ray Moylette at the Elite Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium last night.

Boxing: Hailing from an estate named after Wolfe Tone, fighting seems to have come naturally to the Walsh family.

The last time ex-Olympians met in an Irish elite welterweight final the winner went on to win an Olympic gold.

BOXING

Defending champion Sean McComb believes whoever wins the lightweight title at the Irish Elite Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium will be a worthy champion.

London Olympian Adam Nolan admitted he ‘fell asleep’ in the second round of Saturday’s welterweight quarter-final at the National Elite Championships at Dublin’s National Stadium.

Two-time Olympic medallist Paddy Barnes edged a step closer to the medals at the AIBA World Elite Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan yesterday.

Paddy Barnes has won his Light welterweight clash at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Three Irish fighters are in action at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Irish welterweight Adam Nolan controversially crashed out of the AIBA World Elite Championships at the last-64 stage despite ending up with more points than his opponent yesterday.

Former European champion Ray Moylette bounced back after being wobbled by Alexandros Tsanikidis in yesterday’s AIBA World Elite Championships clash in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Tommy McCarthy got Ireland’s World Elite Championships campaign underway with a unanimous decision over Nikolay Mutavski in Kazakhstan yesterday.

John Joe Nevin’s absence from the Ireland boxing squad for next month’s World Championships in Kazakhstan has left the nation without a representative in the bantamweight slot.

The Irish Elite team got their heads together following a backs-to-the-wall team talk at the European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, according to head coach Billy Walsh.

Joe Ward hobbled out of the European Championships following a freak injury against Polish light heavyweight Matrusz Tryc in Minsk, Belarus yesterday.

London 2012 Olympian Adam Nolan cruised into the last 16 of the European Championships with a unanimous decision (30-27,29-28,29-28) over Polish welter Tomasz Kot in Minsk, Belarus yesterday.

Irish Elite champion Ross Hickey had an operation on his broken left forearm in the Czech Republic yesterday and is a major doubt for June’s European Championships in Belarus.

Irish Olympic silver medalist Ken Egan has announced his retirement from boxing.

A night of drama at the National Stadium last night in the 2013 Elite National Championships, the birth of a new legend, the end of another as the great light-heavyweight Kenneth Egan, seeking a record 11th title in a record 13 consecutive final appearances, was forced to give way for the third year in succession to the more powerful teenager, Joe Ward.

A full programme in the National Stadium last night, 17 semi-final bouts in the penultimate weekend of the 2013 National Elite Championships.

A leading Irish boxing official has predicted Ireland could have 10 boxers qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio in four years’ time.

John Joe Nevin will be bidding for Ireland’s first medal at the London Games when he climbs into the ring tomorrow night (8.45pm) to touch gloves with the teak tough Mexican bantamweight Oscar Valdez.

The three remaining Irish boxers in the Olympic qualification tournament in Trabzon will be back in action in today’s semi-finals.

It may be the Olympics but don’t expect the world.

With his second Elite senior championship medal safely stashed away alongside world championship youth, junior and European senior gold medals, Joe Ward’s quest for Olympic qualification continues when he joins the other champions at an intensive training regime under Billy Walsh at The Curragh.

JOE WARD may have a pocketful of gold medals — world junior, world youths, European senior and a national senior gold — but tonight he climbs into the ring with fellow Westmeath man Davy Joe Joyce to decide his Olympic future.

KENNY EGAN kept his Olympic dream alive with an emphatic victory over fellow Dubliner Michael Frayne (St. Mary’s) in the Elite Boxing Championship quarter-finals at the National Stadium on Saturday night.

Irish Olympic silver medallist Kenny Egan is facing a mammoth challenge to qualify for next year's London games.

JOHN JOE NEVIN arrived back in Dublin last evening with a second bronze medal from the world boxing championships to add to his treasure chest back home in Mullingar and insisting his only regret was not making the final in Baku.

THE Irish boxers head into the second and final week of the world boxing championships in Baku with nine members of the 10-man team still standing and the prospect of Olympic qualification looming midweek.

WITH the business end of the tournament looming, European light welterweight champion Ray Moylette turned in another barnstorming finish to beat Arturs Ahmetous (Latvia) 16-11 and qualify for the last 32 in Baku yesterday.

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

ROY SHEAHAN, St Michael’s (Athy), got his World Championship campaign off to the perfect start when posting an impressive 15-10 victory over Carl Hield (Bahamas) in Baku yesterday and his next opponent, Borna Katalinic (Croatia) is a man he has beaten twice previously.

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.