Sutherland 'happy enough' with performance

Irish boxer Darren Sutherland declared that he was “happy enough” with his performance, despite being beaten by James Degale in their semi-finals Olympic middleweight bout this morning.

The English boxer beat Sutherland 10 points to three.

Degale used his flashy backfoot style to maximum effect as he built a two-point lead at the end of the second round and continued to counterpunch with great accuracy to earn his final place.

Victory will be particularly sweet for Degale, who had lost four of his previous five bouts against the Irishman – but not the one that mattered.

“I’m a fighter and I like to get stuck in,” said Sutherland. “If he (Degale) wants to run and rob the points, so be it. I’m an entertainer, that’s my style.”

Sutherland also confirmed that he does plan to turn professional in the near future.

“This is only the start, wait until I turn professional.”

Sutherland is the first of three Irish boxers fighting for a place in an Olympic final today.

Paddy Barnes takes on Chinese fighter Zou Shiming in the light flyweight semi-finals at noon, while light heavyweight Ken Egan is up against Tony Jeffries at 2pm.

Both boxers are already guaranteed bronze medals for reaching the semi-finals.