Nerves starting to jingle, says Egan, as countdown to fight night begins

He’s been there, done that and he’s not even going this time but Kenneth Egan is still nervous. It’s an emotion caused by the six Irish fighters trying to follow in his footsteps over the coming weeks.

“The hard work has been done over the last six weeks, they are only in a tapering camp now and won’t get any fitter,” said the Beijing silver medallist.

“They won’t be hitting anyone until they get into the ring, it’ll just be pad work and weight management. And then it’s the weigh-in, that’s the most nerve-racking part and you get told who you are fighting and the date.

“Nothing more. That draw will tell so much. I’ve been thinking about them a lot as this is what you dream of when you put on gloves when you are a kid. The hard part is getting there but if they can get off to a good start, then who knows what they can do.”

Egan was speaking at the launch of RTÉ’s Olympic coverage, where he was joined by Bernard Dunne. The former world super-bantamweight champion never fought in the Games but he’s confident when it comes to the Irish team this time around.

“All we need is a but of luck. Everyone asks what the realistic expectations are and realistically we can get six medals, that’s how good the squad is.

“The least experienced of the team is Adam Nolan and for me he was the boxer of the national championships. And when you go through the squad, Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill, all really good fighters. Then there’s Michael Conlan — only he can limit himself. He could be the big gun. People look at the guys who’ve been there before but others are coming in under the radar.

“But the draw has a big bearing and it’d be nice to get off to a good start, get the ball rolling and get settled in. The other side of that is to win it, you’ve to beat the best at some stage.

“Then there’s Katie and there’s huge expectation, and rightly so after four world titles, she’s that good. But she is focused and her drive is incredible. And she’s the reason female boxing is where it is. So every one of them has a chance and could do something special if they can stay focused and get that bit of luck. It’s hugely exciting.”