The Ireland rugby team will be hoping they can emulate the nation’s boxers and also become world champions for the first time this month, and their hopes of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup may hinge on how quickly outhalf Johnny Sexton can recover from the groin injury he sustained in the famous win over France last Sunday.
Advertisement
The 22-year-old Irishman had been in fantastic form at the tournament, recording three wins – including quarter-final victory over reigning world champion Zhanubek Alimhanuly of Kazkhstan, which guaranteed a bronze medal for O’Reilly no matter what the outcome of tonight’s bout. Bizarrely, the judges gave Conlan the final round, which was harsh on Akhmadaliev. There is not much more I can say to be honest.
Michael Conlan woke up this morning, for the first time, as a world champion.
The Irish captain has seen bits of his opponent’s fights at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena, but is concentrating on his own performance.
He prepared for the fight by watching the Sylvester Stallone boxing classic Rocky II on Tuesday and joked afterward that he identified with the film’s star, who says in the movie that winning a boxing title was the best day of his life after his baby being born.
“I knew it was going to be a tough fight because he boxes with aggression and he comes forward all the time”, said Conlan.
“I know Kurt Walker brought him quite close so I’m just going to have to go in there and do what I do and perform and if I perform the gold medal will be in my hand”.
Argilagos said afterward that he had “prepared well” for the tournament and wanted more medals.
O’Reilly was on the wrong side of a few questionable scoring in the first two rounds of his bout.
History Boy Michael Conlan stands at the summit of world boxing and it is where he plans to stay until the end of the Olympics in Rio next summer.
Previously unbeaten Bektemir Melikuziev’s counter-attacking style had taken him all the way to Wednesday’s middleweight final against Arlen Lopez.
Russian Federation also won gold at light-welterweight (64kg) with Vitaly Dunaytsev beating Uzbekistan s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov.
Advertisement
Erislandy Savon relied heavily on his strong counter punches against Russian Evgeny Tishchenko in the opening round of the heavyweight final.
