Last chance saloon for Irish boxers

THE slim Olympic qualification hopes of Irish heavyweight champion Alan Reynolds were shattered in Gothenburg when he was stopped on the 20 point rule by local star Andreas Gustafsson in the third round of their semi-final bout.

Both men, however, were just battling for a reserve spot at the qualifying tournament as the heavyweight division for Athens had already been decided.

This means Ireland still has just one boxer qualified for the Olympics, European bronze medallist Andy Lee from the St. Francis Club in Limerick, with the remaining contenders heading for Baku in Azerbaijan this week where the remaining spots will be decided.