Young Nevin takes a big step

OLYMPIC BOXING:FROM MULLINGAR to Beijing took a big leap of imagination for John Joe Nevin. And last night, in the Worker's Stadium, the "baby" of the Irish boxing camp, as the Irish team manager, Billy Walsh, called him, took a notable step in his boxing life.

He looked at home as he was escorted into the fabulous, downtown arena. Wherever there is a stretch of canvas and rope, there are Irish fans, and they were in fine voice for the bantamweight as he renewed a testy acquaintance with Abdelhalim Ourradi from Algeria.

It was a cagey beginning, the five judges awarding no score in the first round.

But, after Nevin loosened up, he was able to find the sweet spot, repeatedly punishing the North African with swift, straight right hands and then skipping out of danger.

By the end, it was comfortable: Nevin won 9-4, scoring three straight points in the last round as he circled around the edge of the dancefloor, eluding the increasingly rushed attacks of Ourradi, who made it to the quarter-finals on his Olympic debut in the ring on Sydney harbour eight years ago.

Perhaps Ourradi saw something of his former self in the Westmeath teenager as the lanterns were extinguished here in Beijing. Nevin is a classic, late-teenage combination of athletic swagger and painful modesty, and, judging by the smiles he was getting from Olympic officials and stewards in the long corridor that leads from the arena, he is a popular young man here.

"Before the fight, they were telling me to believe in myself," he told us, his long, blue gown hanging off his frame and beads of perspiration slipping down his pale face.

"And we are getting really well looked after by the high-performance team. I am only 19 and I need all the help I can get.

"It was a slow start but it is a big stage, the Olympics.

"The lads started saying the right hand to the head - it was working every time. Once I got it off - left hand to the body, right to the head - it was working."

It was. Nevin got involved in an awkward opening round where neither boxer landed a punch of significance, but despite getting locked into repeated clinches with Ourradi, he began to exploit the Algerian. And although that right was the chief weapon, he scored one great shot with his left, feinting with a big, looping right and then catching Ourradi with a jab.

The four points the Irishman conceded were down to basic errors rather than limitations.

After landing two quick points, Nevin became a bit adventurous in his attack and gave Ourradi enough daylight to land two quick punches.

Later, both men were penalised two penalty points. But in the last two rounds, Nevin bossed the ring.

"There is a bit of needle between them and you could see that," Walsh said. "There was a lot of tension in his body all yesterday and we were trying to get him to relax.

"His timing is excellent normally but today it wasn't what it should be. But he is in the tournament now. The next guy (Nevin will face) is probably going to be the world silver medallist.

"John Joe is back to the situation where he is a nobody going in and he performs well like that. This is a big stage for him and he is the baby. He is quiet, a funny kid and a smart cookie too."

The Irish team have had an auspicious beginning to the tournament, and last night Walsh praised their collective mindset. He reminisced that Kenneth Egan, the Irish captain, had paid a visit to Pádraig Harrington's house last year, and over a cup of tea the sportsmen talked about the importance of mental strength.

Harrington's latest stunning coup has not gone unnoticed in the boxing quarters.

"Kenny said today, 'Jesus, that talk I had with Pádraig Harrington worked really well'."

The Irish have placed a big emphasis on psychology, and Walsh was pleased with the way Nevin thought his way through this fight. He exceeded expectations in reaching this tournament and seems to flourish in the role of outsider.

"I was delighted, " Nevin said. "The support was very good out there - even from the Chinese. I might not get a medal, but I am out here to perform and if you do that the medals will look after themselves."

And then he made his way down the corridor, his cape flying behind him, a happy fighter with a perfect Olympic record.

• Billy Walsh last night confirmed that the family of Zuar Antia, the Georgian who is assistant coach to the Irish team, are fine and well. Antia's wife and children had returned to their native Georgia for a family holiday to the seaside town where his children and grandchildren are resident.

After the recent fighting with Russia, he had received reports the town had been bombed. He has, however, since made contact with his family and established they are safe and well.

"He is in daily contact with them," Walsh said. "There has been a lot of stress in the camp because of his situation. They only went out last week. He didn't send his 18-year-old son, David, and he is relieved about that because he would have been conscripted straight into the army.

"So he is thankful for that. But everyone is fine. He didn't want to talk about it because of the politics."