Sheahan comes out of wraps for quarter-final clash

ROY SHEAHAN comes out of isolation this afternoon to box Dimitrits Sostaks (Latvia) in the quarter-finals of the European Union senior boxing championships at the National Stadium.

The Irish welterweight champion has been isolated from the remainder of the team at their headquarters in Griffith College since last Sunday morning when he woke up with cold sweats and a headache.

“Eric (Donovan) had the same thing the previous week, so we thought it was something contagious,” high performance director Gary Keegan said. “With Eric, it went away after 48 hours, but we put Roy in isolation as a precautionary measure. We did not want any other members of the team to get it.

“Then we were delighted when Roy got a bye into the quarter-finals of the tournament. It allowed him ample time to recover. He was in the shape of his life and last night he had a work-out and he was in tremendous form.”

Sheahan, a member of the high-flying St Michael’s ABC in Athy, is one of a number of former Irish Examiner Youth Sports Stars in action in the EU championships this week.

Lightweight Eric Donovan is also a former winner and so, too, is the light welterweight representative, John Joe Joyce, and young bantamweight Ryan Lindberg won the boxing award this year.

Unbeaten at under-age level in domestic competition, Roy Sheahan had to wait until last season to win his first national senior title and that came at the expense of another clubmate, David Joyce.

Ireland will bring out the heavy artillery today with middleweight Darren Sutherland and light-heavyweight Kenneth Egan making their entry at the quarter-final stages of the competition. Super-heavyweight Cathal McMonagle, who beat Kurban Gunebakan of Turkey, a bronze medallist the year before last, on a cut eye decision on Tuesday night will be back in action against Mohammed Samoudi of France.

Darren Sutherland will be looking for his first medal at this level when he goes into action against the Spaniard, Mario Duro, and victory will assure him of a bronze, at least.

European bronze medallist Kenneth Egan has won gold, silver and bronze at those championships and he meets Imre Szello of Hungary.

“Irish fans have never seen Kenny at his best and now this is their opportunity,” Gary Keegan said. “We need the support of the fans. You can see how they reacted to John Sweeney when he boxed the defending heavyweight champion, John-Michael M’Bumba, last night.

“They did not just lift John, they lifted the whole team.”