Irish boxers on crest of Mexican wave

FOUR Irish boxers will today battle it out for places in the finals at the world youths championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, after another sensational day for Irish boxing.

In the quarter-finals, lightweight Ray Moylett from the St. Anne’s club in Westport had an emphatic 10-2 victory over Cuba’s Luis Garcia, David Joe Joyce — another product of the St. Michael’s club in Athy — beat Korean welterweight, Kim Yeong, 6-3, Jamie Kavanagh from Crumlin boxing club beat Salazar Mendoza (Costa Rica) when the referee stopped their light welterweight contest in the first round and heavyweight Thomas McCarthy, Oliver Plunkett’s, outpointed Pezhman Seifkhami (Sweden) 7-3.

It’s six years since Andy Lee won Ireland’s last medal in what was then the world junior championships in Havana and up to this year only eight Irish boxers had won medals at this level.