World Boxing Championships: Joanna Lambe out but cut eye can’t stop Clare Grace

It was a bittersweet day for Ireland and a brutal night of boxing. As Joanna Lambe made her departure from Jeju, Clare Grace bravely fought her way into the second round. But the Irish team are now asking at what cost.

Shortly after featherweight Lambe fell to a unanimous decision against the impressive Qiong Lu from China, Grace fought Romania’s Cristina Stancu, a well-balanced heavy hitter, who at ninth in the world was one place above her in the AIBA rankings.

In the fourth round Grace was caught above the left eye. Initially it was thought to be nothing serious, with the doctors allowing her to box the final minute of the bout.

But after the Kilkenny student’s arm was raised in victory, the doctors were over to her again. Grace sustained a deep cut running along her left eye brow and was sent to hospital for treatment.

She is now is a position similar to that of Ireland’s Michael Conlan, who had to compete in the Commonwealth finals with a nasty gash above his right eye following a clash of heads.

The Olympic bantamweight competed and won after his eye was subcutaneously stitched and then glued.

A day after the injury he won his gold medal with the wound staying intact.

But Grace potentially has more than one fight. Her unanimous points win over Stancu was a first-round bout and there is over a week of boxing remaining.

Her next match is scheduled for tomorrow against Turkey’s Kara Gulzar. Much now will depend on what the doctors advise, although the head guard could partially cover the cut.

Lionhearted

The Callan boxer had won the bout long before sustaining the cut. “She was lionhearted out there tonight,” said Pete Taylor.

“Yeah, it’s a deep cut. We don’t know now how it’s going to affect her for the next fight. Was it a clash of heads, a shot? Just shows it can happen with the head gear on as well.”

Lambe knew she was in a tough fight in her featherweight bout as Lu aggressively came forward leading with her left but swinging big rights at the Irish girl, who did have a reach and height advantage.

Lambe, who was given a standing count in the second round, couldn’t find her rhythm in the face of Lu’s impressive work rate and dangerous right.

It was a huge disappointment for the Carrickmacross girl, who had high hopes of advancing after falling just outside the medals at this year’s European Championships.

“I got buried in the first two rounds until I got my second wind,” she said. “I thought she was blowing a bit the last two but I just couldn’t counter-punch.”