Jude Gallagher Advances in European Boxing Championships

Jude Gallagher marched into the last 16 of the European Boxing Championships with a composed, commanding points win over Slovakia's Maksym Bocarov in Sofia.

The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist never looked troubled in their 60kg bout, dictating the tempo and distance on his way to a unanimous decision. Judges were left with little debate; Gallagher’s cleaner work and superior ring craft told the story.

The Newtownstewart native now turns his attention to a tougher assignment on Monday, when he meets France's Lounes Hamraoi for a place in the quarter-finals. With every round, his campaign is starting to look more like a serious medal push than a tentative run.

His victory continued a strong start for Team Ireland. Gallagher became the second Irish fighter from the 14-strong squad to have his hand raised this week, following Commonwealth gold medallist Jon McConnell’s own unanimous decision win over Turkey's Necat Ekinci on Thursday.

The momentum in the Irish camp has another chance to build on Friday. Dean Clancy steps through the ropes at 16:00 BST to face Germany's Mohamed Siala in the 65kg division, aiming to keep Ireland’s early charge rolling in Sofia.