Aidan Walsh’s Olympic dream hangs by a thread after dramatic point deductions cost him dearly in Bangkok
Ireland's Aidan Walsh (right) in action against Jordan's Zeyad Eashash in their men's 71kg quarter-final bout at the Paris 2024 Olympic boxing qualification tournament at Hua Mak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand today. Photo: Joe Walsh/Sportsfile
Aidan Walsh after his defeat to Zeyad Eashash in Bangkok today.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Aidan Walsh has been beaten 4-1 by Jordanian Zeyad Eashash in the quarter-final of the 71kg category at the Olympic qualifier in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Belfast fighter can still make it to Paris, but he must win two fights on successive days to achieve his dream of becoming a two-fight Olympic and joining his sister Michaela at the Paris Games.
In a controversial fight, the referee took centre stage docking Walsh points in both the second and third rounds for excessive holding which effectively decided the contest.
Eashash, one of three brothers from the Jordanian capital Annam who are competing in Bangkok, is an experienced fighter who competed in the Tokyo Games.
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Walsh is renowned for his counter-punching skills and slick footwork, but his lack of engagement invariably catches the eye of the referee. In the early stages of a tactical first round both fighters were told by the referee to engage.
Such was the respect the Jordanian camp had for Walsh that Eashash changed his style and was noticeable more cautious than is the norm. In a round of few punches Walsh landed the clear shots and was in pole position after Round 1 with all five judges giving him the round.
But it went horribly wrong in round 2 for Walsh. Initially the referee was on Walsh’s case about lack of engagement but then having warned him twice about excessive holding he docked him a point on the third occasion.
Walsh actually won the round on three of the judges’ card and even when the point deduction was taken into account he led 19-18 on three of the judges’ cards while the fight was level on the other two.
But disaster struck in the third when the referee intervened again and locked Walsh another point.
Aidan Walsh after his defeat to Zeyad Eashash in Bangkok today.
It was a mortal blow for Walsh whereas it buoyed up Eashash who poured forward. Walsh had little option but to come forward at every opportunity which is not his preferred style and not surprisingly the Jordanian took the round 4-1.
The frustrating thing for Walsh who also lost a fight at the previous Olympic qualifier in Italy as a result of being penalised for excessive holding would have comfortably won the fight but for the point deductions .
The final scorecard read 29-26, 29-26, 27-28, 28-27, 28-27.
As there are five Olympic spots available in the 71kg category the four beaten quarter-finalists will be involved in a box-off with the winner going to the Paris Games.
Walsh will be back in action on Saturday in the semi-final of the box-off.
