Walsh relishes taking on world’s ‘elite of elite’

Irish head coach Billy Walsh was “relatively happy” with yesterday’s draw for the AIBA World Men’s Elite Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

But Ireland’s chief stressed there is no room for complacency at the 100-nation tournament.

Belfast heavyweight Tommy McCarthy will be the first Irish boxer between the ropes today when he takes on Bulgaria’s Nikolay Mutavski in the last-64 of the 17th edition of the championships.

Michael Conlan (2), Paddy Barnes (5), Jason Quigley (5) and Joe Ward (6) were seeded in yesterday’s draw at the Rixos Hotel. London 2012 bronze medallists Conlan and Barnes along with European champion Quigley were seeded according to performances in regular amateur boxing. Ward, the 2011 European champion, earned his figure from his performances with the British Lionhearts in the World Series of Boxing last season.

“We’re relatively pleased with the draw, but this is the World Championships and no one is going to lie down against you,” Walsh said. “The elite of the elite are here and it is always going to be tough at this level.”

Meanwhile, a historic hat-trick remains on the cards for Ward — but he has only until the end of this month to achieve it as a teenager.

Ward, who will be 20 on October 30, is aiming for a third AIBA world title in a third different weight and age class. The Moate BC southpaw claimed junior gold at light-middle in 2009 and followed up with gold at middleweight at the 2010 world youths.

He will meet Poland’s Matuesz Tryc or Azerbaijan’s Rauf Rahimov next weekend looking to put defeat at the 2011 world championships behind him.

“This is my second world championships and I’m not 20 yet. Hopefully, it will work out a lot better than the last time out in Baku,” said Ward.

“This is the big one. I know who the favourites will be in Kazakhstan and they know who I am. A third world gold would be nice.”

AIBA World Men’s Elite Championships; Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Today: (Last 64): 91kg: T McCarthy (Ireland) v N Mutavski (Bulgaria).

Tomorrow: (Last 64): 60kg: S McComb (Ireland) v A Briga (Israel); 64kg: R Moylette (Ireland) v A Tsanikidis (Greece).

Wednesday: (Last 64): 69kg: A Nolan (Ireland) v S Cissokho (France).

October 18: (Last 32): 52kg: P Barnes (Ireland) v M Baltic (Serbia) or Q Mai (China).

October 19: (Last 32): 56kg: M Conlan (Ireland) v K Nagy (Hungary) or H Abdelaal (Egypt); 75kg: J Quigley (Ireland) v V (India) or H Henriksson (Sweden); 91+kg: C Sheehan (Ireland) v Y Ortega (Cuba).

October 20: (Last 32): 81kg: J Ward (Ireland) v M Tryc (Poland) or R Rahimov (Azerbaijan).