Five Irish boxers advance to European Union Championships Semi Finals

In boxing, Irish welterweight Roy Sheahan,middleweight Darren Sutherland,light heavyweight Ken Egan, and super heavyweight Cathal McMonagle are guaranteed at least bronze medals at the European Union Championships following impressive quarter final victories at the National Stadium in Dublin today and tonight.

McMonagle, from the Holy Trinity club in Belfast, advanced following a thrilling 26-12 win over Mohammed Samoudi of France tonight,and will meet Romanian Cristian Ciocan in the semi finals on Friday evening.

Sheahan,of the St Michael's Athy club,produced a controlled performance to chalk up 17-14 win over Latvian Dmitris Sostaks and face Bulgarian Dimitar Stillianov-a 2002 European Senior Championships gold medallist-in the last four tomorrow.

And Sutherland, from the St Saviours club in Dublin, was in superb form stopping Spain's Mario Duro on the 20 point rule in round three (32-12) to set up his semi final with Italian Ivano Del Monte.

Irish captain Ken Egan, of the Neilstown club in Dublin, advanced to within two fights of a gold medal courtesy of a comfortable 17-7 victory over Hungarian light heavyweight Imre Szello.

Egan, who has now won four medals at this level, will now meet Mario Sivolija of Croatia in a repeat of the 2005 European Union final in Sardinia which Egan won.

Midlands White City Belfast featherweight Carl Frampton will be the first Irish boxer in action tomorrow versus Poland's Michel Chudecki.

Boxing begins with the first of the semi final session at the National Stadium at 2.30pm tomorrow (June22nd) The evening session will begin

at 7.30pm.