Irish flyweight Conor Ahern and middleweight Darren Sutherland both won their preliminary round bouts at the final AIBA Olympic qualifier for European boxers in Athens, Greece today.
But Donegal's Willie McLoughlin bowed out of the tournament after he was edged out 13-11 by Velibor Vidic of Bosnia following a see-saw welterweight clash at the Olympic Centre of Nikaia.
Ahern led all the way to a 14-8 win over Salomo N'Tune.
But the Baldoyle Dublin club-man sustained a cut over his left eye against the Swede and is facing an anxious wait to see if he will be fit for Wednesday’s quarter-final.
Speaking from Athens, High Performance Director Gary Keegan said they are hopeful that the 24 year old Dubliner will pass a medical for his last eight clash.
Earlier today, Sutherland, from the St Saviours club in Dublin, dominated all four rounds en route to a claiming a 5-0 preliminary round win over Niko Jokinen of Finland.
Sutherland, Irish captain Ken Egan, David Oliver Joyce, John Joe Joyce, Ross Hickey, Tom Sheahan and Cathal McMonagle will all be in involved in last sixteen bouts tomorrow.
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association have a nine man squad in Athens for the tournament which is very much last chance saloon for Europeans hoping to qualify for the Olympics.
Irish boxers reaching the finals of their respective weight divisions will qualify automatically for the 2008 Olympics Games.
But if Sutherland reaches his semi-final and loses then he will go into a box-off with the other beaten semi finalist in the 75Kg category for an Olympic place.
However, the rest of the Irish squad must reach their respective finals to book their tickets for Beijing.
Ireland's Paddy Barnes (light flyweight) and John Joe Nevin (bantamweight) have already qualified for the Olympics.
Twenty five Olympic places will be distributed in Athens.
