Dean Walsh enjoys perfect preparation

Dean Walsh got a sneak preview of what he is likely to come up against at next month’s European Olympic qualifiers as Team Ireland were put through their paces at a test event against Lithuania yesterday at the National Stadium.

Olympians Paddy Barnes, Katie Taylor, and Steven Donnelly were among a 12-strong squad to participate in the test bouts, with six of the seven Irish boxers involved up against Lithuanian opposition while the remaining half of the home team were paired against each other in preparation for next month’s Rio 2016 qualifiers in Turkey.

Ballymena welterweight Donnelly, who has already qualified for the Olympics, had arguably the toughest opponent in European champion Eimantas Stanionis, but Wexford light-welter Walsh also faced a tough scrap against European bronze medallist Evaldas Petrauskas.