Special talent whose dreams lie in tatters
M ichael O’Reilly was recognised as a special talent inside the ring from the moment he first laced a pair of boxing gloves. He won his first European gold medal when he was only 13. But his career has been laced with controversy as well. Born in Clonmel in March, 1993, O’Reilly lives in Portlaoise where he learned his boxing with the local club. A member of the Travelling Community, he has a young son and a daughter.
In 2011 he was disciplined by the IABA and dropped from the Irish youth team which was due to compete in the European Youth Championships.
However, O’Reilly took a High Court action against the decision by the IABA and was restored to the team and went on to win a silver medal at the tournament. Indeed, he was deemed to have been ‘robbed’ in the tournament.
When he graduated to the senior ranks he made an immediate impact winning a silver medal at the European Union championships in 2014 when again he was deemed unlucky not to get the decision in the final.
But he came of age as an elite boxer at the European Games in Baku last year in early summer when he won middleweight gold, earning him a spot at the world championships in Doha in autumn.
Excelled
Again he excelled at the World event securing a bronze medal before losing by Bektemir Melikuziev from Uzbekistan in the semi-final. He subsequently controversially beaten in a box-off by a veteran Egyptian boxer for a place at the Rio Olympics.
At the next European qualifier in Turkey earlier this year he suffered a shock defeat in the early rounds. At the time it was suggested that he sustained an injury in the fight which affected his performance. However, he was subsequently sent home from the tournament for an alleged breach of discipline and was fined a reported €5,000 by the IABA, though it is believed that the fine was ultimately waived. There was speculation at the time O’Reilly would be forced into a box-off to decide whether he would go to the final Olympic qualifying tournament in Baku.
But in the event there was no box off; he was sent to Baku and comfortably won the tournament to become the eighth and final Irish boxer to qualify for Rio.
Seeded at number three in the Olympic draw he was due to make his debut in Rio on August 12 but it now looks his dream of glory, and possibly his career, is over.