'Phenomenal' Irish boxers bidding for European gold

Eric Donovan has lauded the performance of Team Ireland at European Championships in Armenia with Irish pair Dylan Eagleson and Gabriel Dossen competing for gold medals later today.

Eagleson, the 19-year-old from Bangor, will face France's Bilal Bennama in his bantamweight final, while 22-year-old Dossen, of Olympic BC Galway, will meet England’s Lewis Richardson in his middleweight final.

The finals begin at 3pm Irish time with Eagleson’s bout third on the programme, and Dossen’s ninth.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Donovan, a bronze medallist from the 2010 European Championships, was fulsome in his praise for the Irish boxers.

"It’s a phenomenal achievement from these two guys at the European Championships, one of the strongest boxing competitions in the world," he said.

"These guys are taking the tournament in their stride.

"Gabriel Dossen has won four fights in order to get to the final. After losing in the Under-22 European Championships, to bounce back into the elite senior championships is phenomenal and now just one fight from gold.

"Eagleson hasn’t even boxed in an elite championships, he’s only 19 years of age. He’s been a breath of fresh air.

"He’s a slick south paw and so, so good. Every fight he’s been getting better and better. With the Olympic games only two years away, this is a very promising time for Irish boxing."

We have a conveyor belt in this country of really strong talent across the board

Despite the highly publicised issues outside of the ring, the performance of Team Ireland at the tournament, plus Amy Broadhurst and Lisa O'Rourke’s recent gold medals at the Women’s World Championships in Istanbul, indicates that the future remains bright for Irish boxing.

"We have a conveyor belt in this country of