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Jim’s boys guarantee olympic medals

THE Irish Olympic squad are set to benefit from the success of their boxing team thanks to the excellent work of their boxing manager and Limerickman Jim Walsh.
Leading the team for the last number of years, this is Jim Walsh’s 18 trip abroad with an Irish boxing team and this experience has paid great dividends to the five boxers in action in Beijing.
Jim's earlier work on visiting training camps in both Europe and America has paid off richly for the squad who have benefited from the Bruree man’s wealth of experience.
As chairman to the boxing team in Beijing, Walsh is also the secretary of the Munster Boxing Council and a huge boxing fan and enthusiast to boot.
Involved since the 50’s, Jim has developed the sport of boxing in county Limerick and the surrounding areas. He started a boxing club in Bruree and subsequently two more in Kilmallock and Charleville.
Success at the recent World Championships and at European level saw Walsh named as manager of the month in June of last year.
The squad that Jim has charge of in Beijing was developed from the kernel of an elite boxing plan that he and Gary Keegan nurtured over the last six years.
The fruition of their combined work saw the qualification of five boxers to Beijing and now sees the country on the cusp of three boxing success stories.
Despite the exit of both Nevin and Joyce, the Irish squad were this week battling for three medals from the games.
Paddy Barnes secured at least a bronze medal after beating Lukasz Maszczyk 11-5 in the light-flyweight quarterfinal. In doing so the Belfast man has secured a fight against Shiming Zou from China on Friday for a place in the gold medal match. The 21-year-old from Belfast came out on top in a scrappy contest, frustrating the Polish fighter and cleverly picking his shots.

Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes secured Ireland's first boxing medal of the Beijing games.

Kenny Egan then followed up the success of Barnes when he guaranteed Ireland’s second bronze medal after beating Washington Silva in a one-sided contest in the Light-Heavyweight division. Egan started the fight strongly and was never troubled by the Brazilian.
The Irish team captain took an early lead with Silva taking a very cautious approach. Honours even in the second round when a scoreless draw would prevent Egan making any headway, but the Irish man, under strict guidance from his corner and backroom team, was totally in control. His boxing class shone in the final rounds as he totalled eight unanswered points in a magnificent display of boxing prowess. Egan will face Britain’s Tony Jefferies in the semi-final.

Darren Sutherland defeated Venezuelan Alfonso Blanco Parra 11-1 to secure Ireland's third Olympic medal at the Beijing games

Not to be out be his stablemates, Dubliner, Darren Sutherland marched his way into the semi-finals of his middleweight division at the Beijing Olympics with an emphatic performance at the Workers Gynasium in front of an OLE, OLE OLE OLE chanting crowd. Sutherland dealt with the challenge of Alfonso Blanco Parra in the quarter-finals by beating the Venezuelan on a scoreline of 11 points to 1. Sutherland has now secured Ireland's third medal of the games.

RTE have posted details of the fights for the Irish fighters

Paddy Barnes and Kenny Egan will be boxing for a place in gold medal matches in their respective weights on Friday afternoon.

Barnes will be first up, beginning at 12pm. He will be up against the Chinese world champion Shiming Zou.

Irish team captain Egan fights Britain's Tony Jefferies, scheduled for 2pm. The times are subject to change.