Bronze medal but golden memories for Nevin

JOHN JOE NEVIN arrived back in Dublin last evening with a second bronze medal from the world boxing championships to add to his treasure chest back home in Mullingar and insisting his only regret was not making the final in Baku.

“I’m delighted to be home and to have brought a medal with me — it’s been a long month but it’s been worth every minute of it,” he said.

“I’m only sorry that I couldn’t go for the final and maybe even win it, obviously, but I’m still delighted to have got a medal in the world championships for a second time and to have taken care of my Olympic qualification.

“Some days you get the decision and some days you don’t — that’s the reality of it and you just have to accept it and get on with things.

“I said before the team was finalised that if I wasn’t selected straight off — if I had to go through a box-off, for instance — I’d go professional and I think I’ve justified my stance. I know I’m the best in the country and I think I’ve proved it.

“I know I’m up there with the best in the world and, now that I have got my Olympic place, I just want to concentrate on trying to get even better between now and London.

“I’m going to train even harder than I have ever done — I want to work on tidying up a few things because the Olympics, after all, won’t be all that long coming around.”

Tommy Murphy, President of the IABA who was with the team in Baku, described some of the results as heartbreaking but admitted there were areas they would have to work on.

“The lads — all of them — fought their hearts out in the second and third rounds, but a lot of the time we were already a round down and it’s very, very hard to make that up at this level,” he said.

The IABA’s Director of Boxing, Dominic O’Rourke, also paid tribute to all of the team members recalling bitter-sweet memories.

“You would have to be happy with John Joe’s bronze medal and three qualified for the Olympics,” he said. “But you would also be disappointed for some of the lads who were desperately unlucky not to qualify.

“David Oliver (Joyce) immediately comes to mind because he was very, very unlucky. He was so close yet so far.

“He was right there until he got a public warning four seconds from the end of the fight.

“It was a very harsh decision and that made it even worse.”

At the end of the tournament Ireland were right up alongside USA, Hungary, Germany, China, Thailand and Brazil with three qualified for London 2012.

After seven weeks on the road they now take a well deserved break and when the High Performance Team sit down to look at the situation over the coming weeks they will only be interested in the remaining Olympic places which will be available at the various weights.

Europe are entitled to eight places up to heavyweight and super heavyweight where there will be six places up for grabs.

John Joe Nevin, Michael Conlan and Darren O’Neill won’t be involved but at light flyweight, where Olympic bronze medallist, Paddy Barnes, disappointed in Baku, Russia, Spain and France claimed three of the eight places leaving five still available.

Lightweight, where Eric Donovan represented Ireland, is also pretty open with five places available but there is only one place available at light welterweight where Ray Moylette made an early exit.

At welterweight, where Roy Sheahan was a possibility right up to the semi-finals, there is also only one place remaining but happily for Joe Ward, he will be fighting for one of six places available at light heavyweight if he successfully retains his senior title.

At heavyweight the addition of WSB winner Clement Russo (Italy) to the four European qualifiers from Baku means that there will be just one place available at heavyweight where Kenny Egan represented Ireland.

Con Sheehan (Clonmel) will be fighting for one of two places still available at super heavyweight.