Boxing:Olympic bronze medal winner Paddy Barnes will be sent home from the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Milan after reacting badly to his last 32 defeat against Kenya's Peter Munkai last night.
IABA President Dominic O’Rourke and Irish team manager Des Donnelly confirmed that Barnes, ranked sixth in the world, will be on the first flight to Dublin tomorrow.
The Belfast man reacted with fury and threw his gloves onto the canvas after the shock 15-4 reversal at the Mediolanum Forum.
He had been 1-0 up early in the fight but Munkai was 6-1 ahead at the end of the first round and 12-4 in front at the end of the second. However Barnes made all the running and even forced the African into two standing counts in the second and third rounds.
Meantime, Kenny Egan cruised into the last 16 after stopping Muhammad Sutani Quadir of Afghanistan in the third round.
The win arrived just over an hour after Donegal welterweight Willie Mclaughlin recorded an impressive 14-3 over Vedic Velibor of Bosnia & Herzegovina 14-3.
But EU featherweight champ David Oliver Joyce bowed out after he lost 16-11 to Oscar Valdez of Mexico despite leading by five points at one stage.
Joyce was 6-3 up at the end of the first and stretched his lead to 7-3 in the second but Valdez came storming back to have his hand raised.
Egan, who claimed silver at last year’s Olympics in Beijing, was 12-1 up when the referee stopped the contest 2:31 into the frame after Quadir took his second standing count.
The Neilstown southpaw will meet Jeysson Monroy Varela of Columbia tomorrow and is just two fights away from the medals.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin faces Jvania Kakhabev of Gerogia - an opponent who has beaten Ireland’s Roy Sheahan in the past.
“We had another mixed bag,” said Irish head coach Billy Walsh. “David Oliver was in total control of his fight and then he switched off and when he tried to switch back on it was too late.
“Willie has been boxing incredibly well at these championships and his win was a very professional performance. He has another tough one today against the Georgian lad.
“Ken nearly got three rounds out of his opponent. He needed that fight because it’s been frustrating for him sitting around all week waiting to get in the ring.
“I watched his Columbian opponent and he got a good, solid win under his belt. He’s a decent boxer and Kenny knows he can’t afford to be complacent.”
John Joe Nevin and Darren O’Neill both advanced to the last 16 following impressive bantamweight and middleweight wins last night.