Gráinne Walsh wins first fight at Olympic qualification tournament in Bangkok
Gráinne Walsh in action during her win over Vietnam's Ngoc Mai Huang in Bangkok
Gráinne Walsh has successfully negotiated the first hurdle in her final bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The Tullamore welterweight who was singularly unlucky not to secure her slot at the qualification tournament in Milan won her first fight at the final qualifier which got under way on Friday in Bangkok.
Walsh, who boxes out of the St Mary’s club in Tallaght had a decisive 5-0 win over Ngoc Mai Hoang from Vietnam.
In her last 16 contest on Wednesday she meets Sun Hyo Hwang from North Korea.
Little is known about Hoang but she was beaten on a split decision by a Chinese welterweight at the Asian Games earlier this year in which appears to have been her first international bout.
Two Irish boxers are in action on Saturday.
Sean Mari (50kg) takes on Muhammad Faheem from Pakistan. The Monkstown clubman is in the same half of the draw as Roscoe Hill from the United States.
Light heavyweight Kelyn Cassidy, who is bidding to follow in the footsteps of Kenneth Egan and Joe Ward and qualify for the Olympics in the 80kg division, begins his campaign against Delil Dadaev from Germany.
There are 56 boxers in the weight division but only the top three finishers qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Cassidy produced a series of outstanding performances in Milan despite damaging his thumb early on in the tournament and though he ultimately fell short of making the quota he is expected to do so in Bangkok.
Belfast’s Aidan Walsh, a bronze medallist at the Tokyo Games in 2021, will be in the ring on Sunday. There are a record 70 boxers bidding for the four slots available in the 71kg category and Walsh takes on Mogunde Maina from Kenya.
Jenny Lehane (54kg) will be in action on Tuesday against Angelyris Lopez from Puerto Pico, while super heavyweight Martin McDonagh begins his campaign against Minh Ngoc from Vietnam on Wednesday. There are 34 boxers in his category.
Enniskerry’s Daina Moorehouse, who was unlucky not to qualify at both the European Games last year and again at the qualification tournament in Milan, has received a bye in the first round in the 50kg weight division. There are 34 boxers in the division with Moorehouse meeting Anush Grigoryan from Armenia next Friday.
Amy Broadhurst will make her international debut in a GB vest on Monday against Spain’s Shiela Martinez in the first round of the lightweight category.
Meanwhile, in Leeds on Saturday night on the undercard of the eagerly-awaited rematch between British super lightweights Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, Irish pro fighters Paddy Donovan and Gary Cully will be in action.
Cully is aiming to continue his comeback after his only loss a year ago when he meets Belgian Francesco Patera (29-4) while unbeaten welterweight Paddy Donovan faces an interesting challenge against experienced British fighter Lewis Ritson (23-3).
