Dean Gardiner bowed out of the European Elite Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria, but Joe Ward came through his bout with an impressive performance.
Super-heavyweight Gardiner was beaten by top-seed Filip Hrgovic on a unanimous decision (30-25 across the board).
Towering Croat Hrgovic, who earned a Rio 2016 place through the World Series of Boxing earlier this year, dominated all three rounds against Tipperary man Gardiner, who, to his credit, did manage to find the target with a flashing left and a big right in the second round of a heavy-punching contest.
But the Zagreb orthodox, working off left jabs and right hooks, with the occasional body shots thrown in for good measure, dictated the terms and pace for most of the three rounds.
Ward, the 2011 European Elite champion, outclassed Russia’s Idris Shakhmonov on a unanimous decision (30-25,30-27,30-26), with one judge giving Ireland’s AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) fighter two 10-8 rounds.
The Irish southpaw, looking sharp and focused in his first three-rounder since signing for APB last year, will now meet Georgia’s Nikoloz Selchniashvili, an opponent he has beaten in the past, for a place in the last eight on Tuesday.
