JOHN JOE NEVIN laid claim to a bronze medal and put himself in line for even greater things when he outpointed Chinese bantamweight Yu Gu, 7-5, to qualify for tomorrow semi-finals at the World boxing championships in Milan.

Ireland beat the USA 9-3 at the National Stadium in Dublin last night to take a commanding advantage into Sundays second meeting between the nations at the Arch Centre in Athy.

KENNETH EGAN caused a major sensation in Irish boxing long before last night’s big home international against the USA got underway when the Olympic silver medallist failed to show up for the weigh-in.

KENNETH EGAN is within one victory of a spectacular ninth successive national senior title following last night’s comprehensive defeat of Denis Hogan (Grangecon) in the first light heavyweight semi-final at the National Stadium.

Ken Egan moved to within one fight of winning his ninth Irish senior title in a row following a 16-3 semi-final win over Denis Hogan at the Elite National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.

KENNY EGAN will make his first public appearance in the ring since Beijing in the semi-finals of the national senior championships tonight at the National Stadium.

John Joe Joyce cruised into the quarter finals of the 37th European Senior Championships following a comfortable 20-3 win over Scottish light welterweight John Tain at the Greenbank Academy in Liverpool this afternoon.

DAVID OLIVER JOYCE set up what promises to be an enthralling quarter-final with the Olympic champion, Vasyl Lomachenko (Ukraine), with a resounding 12-3 victory over Englishman Joe Murray at the European Senior Boxing Championships in Liverpool yesterday.

Reigning Irish featherweight champion David Oliver Joyce joined Ryan Lindberg and Ross Hickey in the quarter finals of the 37th European Senior Championships following a convincing 16-3 win over British 2008 Olympian Joe Murray at the Greenbank Academy in Liverpool this afternoon.

BILLY WALSH will be looking for more of the same from Ryan Lindberg and Willie McLoughlin at the European Championships in Liverpool today when Ireland will have four boxers fighting for places in the quarter-finals.

THE Irish challenge got off to an astonishing start at the European boxing championships in Liverpool yesterday when the two boxers in action won their respective contests and the other seven members of the team got byes into the last 16 in their divisions.

DAVID OLIVER JOYCE claimed the featherweight berth on the Irish team for next month’s European Boxing Championships when outpointing Carl Frampton in a box-off at the Central Council Tournament in the National Stadium at the weekend.

Reigning Irish featherweight champion David Oliver Joyce will miss tonight's Open Senior Competition final with Carl Frampton because of an illness.

JOHN Joe Joyce moved within one bout of a place on the Irish team for next month’s European Championships in Liverpool following a convincing win over Philip Sutcliffe in the semi-finals of the Open Senior Competition at the National Stadium in Dublin on Saturday night.

John Joe Nevin and Irish captain Ken Egan are through to Saturday's finals at the 2008 European Union Championships in Poland following impressive semi-final victories in Cetniewo this afternoon.

Irish 2008 Olympian Paddy Barnes has received a bye into the 6th European Union Championships light flyweight final following this mornings draw at the Cetniewo Olympic Centre in Cetniewo, Poland.

IRISH captain Ken Egan believes this week’s European Union Boxing Championships in Poland will provide Ireland with the perfect preparation for the Olympic Games.

Ireland beat Poland 5-3 in Donegal last night to take a two-bout lead into the second leg of the senior international series on Friday evening.

Five Irish boxers will be involved in quarter-finals bouts at the final Olympic qualifier for European boxers in Athens, Greece today.

Ireland's Conor Ahern has booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Olympic qualification tournament in Athens tomorrow.

DARREN SUTHERLAND and Conor Ahern got Ireland’shopes off to a flying start at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens yesterday but while Sutherland will be back in action today, Ahern faces an anxious wait to see if he can box tomorrow after sustaining a cut eye in his flyweight contest.

Irish flyweight Conor Ahern and middleweight Darren Sutherland both won their preliminary round bouts at the final AIBA Olympic qualifier for European boxers in Athens, Greece today.

HOPES of getting Roy Sheahan to Athens for next week’s Olympic qualifying tournament were abandoned yesterday when it was ruled that his damaged hand would not be sufficiently recovered for an 11th-hour box-off with Willie McLoughlin (Illie GG).

DARREN SUTHERLAND (St Saviours OBA) strengthened his Olympic qualification hopes with a 15-8 victory over arch-rival, Darren O’Neill (Paulstown) in an action-packed middleweight final at the National Stadium on Saturday.

Darren Sutherland and Darren O'Neill will meet in a repeat of last January's Irish senior middleweight final tonight after Sutherland advanced from last night's semi final box-off at the National Stadium in Dublin.