Perfect start for Walsh’s fighting Irish

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.

Ryan Lindberg from the Immaculata club in Belfast got Ireland’s campaign under way with a clever 9-4 victory over a tough Turk, Abdullah Dursion, in the afternoon session while, last night, Willie McLoughlin created a big upset when he outpointed Mariano Hilario Jiminez from Spain 14-5 in an exciting welterweight contest.

“This was a very good win and an excellent performance,” Coach Billy Walsh insisted. “Willie was in against a difficult opponent but he performed well behind a water-tight defence. He closed his man down, cut him off and got his punches off early, scoring with right hooks and left hooks to the head and body.