Ireland’s David Oliver Joyce proved no match for the elusive Azeri fighter Albert Selimov at Rio 2016 on Tuesday night as the world number two triumphed via a unanimous decision in their round-of-16 bout.
Joyce, competing at his first Olympics, accounted for Andrique Allisop of the Seychelles in his opening bout, but this represented a major step up in class for the Mullingar pugilist.
The 29-year-old made a tentative start as Selimov used his superior reach to land a number of telling blows, one of which opened the right eye of the Athy clubman.
The Azeri southpaw breached his opponent’s high guard with his laser-like uppercut, which was the most effective weapon in his impressive armoury.
The three judges, who hailed from Brazil, Mongolia and Canada, each awarded the first round to the hot favourite on a 10-9 scoreline.
Those long arms continued to find their range in the second round. Joyce ratcheted up the tempo and boasted the superior workrate, unleashing a a flurry of combination punches, but Selimov's accomplished footwork allowed him to bow and weave his way out of any dangerous situations.
The languid Selimov targeted Joyce’s bloody eye in the final round with his long jabs and the Irishman received medical attention as the fight was temporarily stopped with 25 seconds remaining.
When the end did come, a unanimous decision in favour of Selimov was never really in doubt, with the 30-year-old winning the bout 29-28 on each of the scorecards.
"I gave it everything" - David Oliver Joyce after his loss to Albert Selimov https://t.co/yK2YcaORGx
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 9, 2016
Joyce was magnanimous in defeat, saying of his opponent: “Selimov, he’s not number two in the world for nothing.
“He’s a really good guy, congratulations to him.
“I knew getting in here tonight that it was going to be really tough.
“I had to be on the top of my game for him.
“Unfortunately I came out on the wrong side of it. That’s the way it goes.”
Selimov has flattered to deceive at his two previous Games, but Joyce believes his loss came at the powerful hands of the man who will ultimately triumph in Brazil, as he added: “He’ll go on and I’m sure he’ll get an Olympic gold medal.”
When asked whether or not he would stay within the amateur ranks, Joyce hinted that he may indeed hang up his gloves.
"I'll talk about that when I go home, I'll go on holiday with the family when I go back. I've had a great career in boxing, with some ups and downs and I am where I am today. I want to thank God for that."
