Quigley’s deadly in the Box
UNDEFEATED Irish middleweight Jason
Quigley improved to 16 wins on his UK debut after making short work of Mathias Eklund at London’s Copper Box on Saturday night.
The Donegal orthodox, the first Irish male boxer to reach an AIBA World Elite final in the amateur ranks in 2013, stopped the Finn in the second round.
Quigley dominated the first round and rocked his 34-year-old opponent with a sweeping hook after switching to southpaw.
Eklund was hurt by a big right from the Irishman in the second and the ref stepped in 63 seconds into the round with the disorientated Eklund on the ropes.
“Delighted with the win. We’re looking to stay busy and keep climbing those world rankings,” said Quigley after his first victory outside of the USA.
Undefeated Welsh bantam Sean Mcgoldrick, who boxed briefly with an Irish club, outpointed Liverpool’s Sean Cairns on the Copper Box card in his eight-fight.
Mcgoldrick and Quigley fought out of the Finn Valley BC in Donegal and won County titles on the same day in the amateur code in 2009.
Dubliner Lynn Harvey lost her bid for the vacant European minimum-weight belt after being stopped by Andalucía-native Catalina Diaz in Madrid on Saturday night.
Harvey enjoyed some success with her jab in the opening round but Diaz began landing the cleaner punches and dropped the Irishwoman in the third and the ref stopped the contest in the fifth after more punishment.