Hickey hammers home the bronze

ROSS HICKEY secured Ireland’s first medal at the European Championships in Liverpool yesterday but the treatment meted out to bantamweight Ryan Lindberg left Irish coach, Billy Walsh, fuming.

Hickey, from the Grangecon club in Wicklow, outpointed Famil Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) 6-1 to claim a bronze medal — at least — and a place in tomorrow’s semi-finals.

However, Denis Makarov (Germany) was allowed to walk all over Lindberg before being awarded the winning point from what was a slap rather than a punch with just three seconds remaining in a desperately close contest.