Beijing-bound Joyce rejoices after power-packed showing
It was a performance of sheer brilliance by the 20 year-old Mullingar man, who won the first round 8-1 and the second and third by margins of 7-4 to leave himself with a 13-point cushion going into the last.
He may have been economical with his trademark right hook all week but yesterday he despatched it with precision as he teed his opponent up with the left jab and pounded him with double right hooks to the head and body.
“We watched him on the tape this morning and he was pretty good and that was what brought my performance up a notch this evening,” said Joyce. ” I could see he was a southpaw and I knew he was open to the body..
“I went back to the corner after the first and Billy (Walsh) said I was seven up. It gave me a lift but I reminded myself that this fight was only starting and I could not afford to get tired or give away foolish points.
“Before, when I would be winning by 10 or 15 points I would be inclined to take my foot off the pedal, but that was not going to happen today. I wanted to get to those Olympics. I have been thinking about it all week. I did not sleep for the past two or three nights. I was not thinking about the fight. I was thinking ahead. I was going through everything. Gerry (Hussey) was working with me. He has been brilliant with me for the past couple of years.
“Then Andy Lee rang me an hour before the fight and had a talk with me. He told that if I perform I’d win. ‘Don’t worry about the points, box bad, box good, box brilliant but make sure you win,’ he said and that gave me huge boost.”
“But I have to thank a lot of people for this. I want to thank all the High Performance team, especially Gerry Hussey and my coach Dominic O’Rourke. I also have to thank the Irish Sports Council who stood by me for the last two years. They treated me as a special case and gave me €12,000 for the past two years.
“I am delighted with this win. Now we have three from Mullingar going to the Olympics, myself, John Joe Nevin and Martin Fagan. I was born in Limerick and that’s why I have worn my lucky Limerick GAA jersey for the past four or five years — it’s an old one — and I am also a bit of an Athy man having trained there with the St. Michael’s club.
“I feel so sorry for my cousin, David Oliver, because we have travelled everywhere together. But his day will come. There are others in the club like Roy Sheahan and Eric Donovan who did not qualify but their day will come too.”
In today’s light welterweight final Joyce is scheduled to meet Lithuanian Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who beat Boris Katlainic from Croatia 11-5 yesterday. However, there were rumours last night that the Lithuanian may not show up at the scales this morning which would give Joyce the gold medal and put the perfect finish touch to what has been a great week for him and for Irish boxing.
It will also mean extra funding for him under the medal funding scheme. Finbarr Kirwan from the Irish Sports Council, who was present yesterday, said the boxers who made it through to the finals would be in line for extra finance under the scheme.
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