Jon McConnell, Daina Moorehouse, and Lisa O’Rourke have all advanced to the medal rounds at the European Boxing Championships, while Shannon Sweeney fell short of reaching the quarter-finals following her defeat in Sofia on Saturday. Commonwealth Games gold medalist McConnell secured a 4-1 unanimous decision victory over Poland’s Damian Durkacz in his last-16 match, after previously defeating Turkey’s Necat Ekinci on Thursday.
The 23-year-old McConnell is set to face Italy’s Gabriele Guidi Rontani in the quarter-finals on Monday. Meanwhile, Moorehouse also moved on to the last eight by edging out Bulgarian favorite Zlatislava Chukanova with a narrow 3-2 split decision—a rematch from their Olympic qualifiers for Paris, where Moorehouse had also prevailed. Despite being counted down in the final round, the 25-year-old from Wicklow secured the win and will now meet Spain’s Laura Fuentes Fernandez, who holds World and European bronze medals.
O’Rourke, the 2022 World Champion, made a strong comeback by winning unanimously against Greece’s Vasiliki Stavridou in her last-16 bout. After dominating the opening rounds, she imposed two standing counts in the final round to seal her victory and will next compete against Team GB’s Emily Asquith for a chance to reach the podium.
Unfortunately, Sweeney was defeated 4-1 by Italy’s Chiara Mosetti after dropping the last two rounds in her last-16 contest.
Fan Take: This strong showing from McConnell, Moorehouse, and O’Rourke highlights the rising talent and competitive depth within European boxing, building excitement for the medal rounds ahead. Their performances not only inspire fans but also signal a bright future for the sport as these fighters continue to challenge established champions on the international stage.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
