Sutherland boost, but Joyces in shock exit

IT WAS a day of amazing contrasts for Irish boxers at the World Championships in Chicago yesterday when middleweight Darren Sutherland had his hand raised in victory without having thrown a punch and then David Oliver Joyce, who threw every punch in the book, went out of the tournament to Davi Souza of Brazil 21-10.

Sutherland got a walkover when his opponent failed to make the 75kg limit at yesterday’s early-morning weigh-in and now the Irishman finds himself just two contests away from Olympic qualification.

But nothing can be taken for granted here, where featherweight David Oliver Joyce was expected to beat the Brazilian.

It was Souza who set the pace, catching the attention of the judges with some delightful multi-punch combinations and surviving the big bombs thrown in desperation when Joyce realised the fight had gone away from him.

He trailed throughout 10-3, 14-6 and 17-9 but he almost took his opponent out midway through the third round when he caught him with a big right hand to the head that earned him a standing count.

“He recovered quickly from that but, honestly, I thought I had him,” a disappointed Joyce said afterwards. “He had a lot of combinations and it took me a long time to get going. The fight was over then. He danced around for the last round but I would have done the same thing.”

David Oliver’s cousin, John Joe Joyce, a new addition to the squad, lost his opening light welterweight contest 32-17 to a more experienced Hungarian, Gyula Kate.

When they met in the EU championships in Dublin in June, Joyce stormed into an early lead and was three points ahead going into the third round. He got a public warning and then lost by a few points.

This time he again went into an early three-point lead but was behind 9-8 at the end of the first round. He then lost his way and when his opponent got a comfortable cushion, the Hungarian proceeded to frustrate him — drawing him, catching him with good shots, tying him up and turning him.

“I am so disappointed,” Joyce said afterwards. “I just cannot explain it. I could not get going at all tonight.”

There was mixed reaction when the news came through yesterday that Sutherland’s opponent for last night’s opener, Roy Albert Cook from the Dominican Republic, had failed to make the weight.

“The word was that he was 0.8kg over the limit and so that was what made it hard to believe,” IABA High Performance Director, Gary Keegan, said.

“I personally would have liked for Darren to have had the contest because he will be going in against a much tougher opponent on Saturday afternoon,” he said. “He will have to meet the winner of the contest involving Andranik Hakobyan (Armenia) and Naim Terbunja (Sweden) and I would expect the Armenian to come through that one.

“Darren will have a really tough four-round spar with Kenny Egan this afternoon and we will be able to replicate the fight situations. Kenny boxes tomorrow.”

But, unlike many others here, Olympic qualification is not what it all about for Sutherland. He wants a medal from these championships. After the championships, the team members have all been given a holiday wherever they want but he is on record as saying he will be going home to show off his medal.

He has been to the World Championships before and has been to the quarter-finals and, while he was not even a national senior champion that time, he knows what it is all about.

“I feel only bad luck will prevent me from qualifying and maybe I have had a bit of good luck today,” he said.

“Olympic qualification is definitely the goal I have but I want to finish in the medals. I don’t want to just get to the quarter-finals.

“Back in 2005 it was not such a realistic thing for me. I wasn’t even thinking about the Olympics but now it is so close. I feel I will qualify no matter what but it would be nice to do it out here now rather that going into the scenic route next year.

“I’d like to enjoy Christmas and know that’s where I am going because I have just been building up to this so much that I feel I need to have a good relaxation period.

“I have decided I’d like to get out of it after the Olympic Games so that’s my target: the Olympics and that’s it. That’s what I am aiming for but, in the meantime, I’d like to medal at the worlds. I feel I am world class act and why not get a world medal?”