‘We will call him Bronzer’

An emotional John Joe Nevin claimed Ireland’s first Olympic medal from London 2012 last night and immediately dedicated it to his cousin, David, who died from a heart attack last February aged just 25.

It was an emotional moment for the Mullingar man, who turned in the performance of his life to beat the Mexican bantamweight, Oscar Valdez, 19-13 after three action-packed rounds. He now has the opportunity to turn his bronze medal to silver, at least, when he meets the world champion, Lazaro Alvarez, on Friday (2pm).

It was a stunning performance in every respect. He out-punched the Mexican in the first round but the judges scored the round 5-5.