Jack Marley booked his place in the quarter-finals of the men's 92kg division after a split decision victory over Poland's Mateusz Bereznicki at Paris 2024.
The Monkstown BC heavyweight came into the evening session at the Arena Paris Nord looking to become the first Irish fighter to taste victory here after Dean Clancy, Aidan Walsh and Gráinne Walsh had all been eliminated following defeats in their last-32 bouts.
Marley did the business, winning all three rounds 4-1 to progress from the last-16 and will now meet second seed Tajikistan's Davlat Boltaev, who survived a hard-fought battle with Georgian Georgii Kushitashvili to win narrowly by split decision.
"It's great to get Ireland's first win over the line," he told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"It's always down to who wants it more. I also had to switch on and stuff, and try to see what he was coming back with, which was easier to read than I thought. I really enjoyed it."
Bereznicki had a four-inch billed height advantage but it was the Dubliner who was the seeded fighter going into the match.
Any potential for a reach disadvantage did not appear to unnerve the 22-year-old, who harried his opponent early in the first round, occupying the centre of the ring.
With Bereznicki tentative and Marley assertive, the judges ruled in the latter's favour, 4-1 at the conclusion of that opening round.
The second was a tighter affair until the closing 30 seconds when both fighters landed punches, Marley more effectively with his combinations, and that was reflected on the cards where he again led 4-1 heading into the climax.
Approaching midway through the third, Marley went down but it appeared to be a slip and he finished strongly to clinch victory with another 4-1 success.
Gráinne Walsh (below) suffered a split-decision defeat against Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori as she exited at the last-32 stage.
The 28-year-old Tullamore fighter, who was making her Olympic debut in the women's 66kg division, was unable to prevail in a scrappy bout in the final afternoon session and became the third Irish fighter to exit the Games at the first hurdle.
The two fighters engaged in frantic and scrappy start with both initially looking to impose themselves as the aggressor, taking up station in the centre of the ring.
With 30 seconds of the first round to go, Walsh caught her opponent with a series of combinations, although it was the Hungarian who led on three of the judges' scorecards.
A similar pattern continued into the second with both facing off at close quarters in a bout characterised by frequent clinches as Hamori looked to impose herself on Walsh.
It was the Hungarian who won 10-9 on all five cards after the second, although she was deducted a point for one hold too many.
Walsh now had to chase the fight with her opponent looking to keep her distance more than in the previous two rounds.
Walsh appeared to land with her right as she backed Hamori into a corner with the fight ticking into the final 30 seconds, but ultimately the Hungarian was celebratory at the bell and Walsh's defeat was confirmed with Hamori winning the final round 3-2.
Earlier, Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Aidan Walsh (below) bowed out after he was beaten on a majority decision in his last-32 fight against France's Makan Traore.
The Belfast fighter unanimously took the opening round of the men's 71kg bout but lost the second and had a point deducted for holding in the third as the 27-year-old's bid to medal at back-to-back Games came to an end.
Walsh, who returned to action ahead of this year's qualifying tournaments after 14 months out as he dealt with injuries and addressed his mental health, immediately took up a southpaw stance against an opponent who won bronze at last year's European Games and had a partisan home crowd in his favour.
Their displeasure was in evidence after Walsh took the first round 10-9 on all the judges scorecards.
In the second, Walsh looked to maintain his distance from Traore who tried to press forward and cut the angles.
Ultimately, Walsh was only deemed the second-round winner on the German judge's card, while the other four plumped 10-9 to Traore.
Seconds into the final round, Walsh found himself on the end of a heavy right hand, with the Frenchman again the aggressor while Walsh looked for opportunities to counter, before the Belfast fighter upped the ante in the closing minute of the fight.
However, Traore was confirmed as the winner 29-27 on four of the cards, with the other level at 28-28, including a point deducted for holding in the final round. The Irishman sportingly raising his opponent's arm in the ring before exiting the arena.
Walsh was philosophical in the aftermath, referencing the struggles in his personal life he overcame in the aftermath of Tokyo.
"To be here is a miracle for me. It's just an absolute privilege," he told RTÉ Sport.
"Regardless of win, lose or draw, it is what it is. I’m healthy, I’m happy."
Asked how difficult it was to chase Traore in the final round, he said: "I thought that I was doing alright. I got plenty of luck in my career, just today wasn’t my day."
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