Bernard Dunne: Kellie Harrington did enough to win despite judges' decision

Harrington lost to Nune Asatarian in last 16 clash on a 4-1 split verdict after three close rounds

Ireland's Kellie Harrington. Picture: INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic

Kellie Harrington did enough to win her bout at the Strandja multi-nations in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday, according to Irish boxing chief Bernard Dunne.

Dunne, the IABA high-performance director, was at ringside watching Harrington fight Nune Asatarian in last 16 clash with the Russian getting the decision on a 4-1 split verdict after three close rounds.

Harrington found the target consistently throughout the three-rounder, but her busy and durable opponent was also making her mark.

All five judges awarded Harrington the last round, with the Russian orthodox taking the first and second rounds 4-1.

“We would have thought that Kellie did enough to win, said Dunne, who was glad to see Harrington, who won one fight before Wednesday’s bout, get some competitive fights under her belt.

“The primary objective coming out here was to shake off the dust and get ready for June (Olympic qualifiers).

“I thought Kellie landed more scoring scores. We’ll have to wait until a higher analyst is done.

“Kellie needed a couple of fights out here, and she had a couple of fights out here.”

Meanwhile, Galway super heavyweight Gytis Lisinskas lost 4-0 on points to Singh Manjeet of India in Sofia.

Tokyo Olympian Brendan Irvine, Michaela Walsh and Aoife O’Rourke are in quarter-final action at the 32-nation tournament on Thursday.