BRETT MCGINTY was somehow adjudged to have lost a fight he appeared to have won and his World Youth Championships bid ended in bitter disappointment.
McGinty seemed in control of his last 32 contest with Slovakian Andrej Csemez at the Sibur Arena in St Petersburg but, remarkably, it was Csemez’s hand that was hoisted at the end.
The disbelief was evident in the Irish corner, where John Conlan and Billy McClean were surely marking McGinty’s card for a last 16 bout.
But the dream is over for the Oakleaf ABC welterweight.
[adrotate group=”85″]With a languid style in the ring, Csemez proved a tricky customer, though his loose, low guard left McGinty with a chink in the armour to pursue.
The Irish skipper’s power has been a real weapon of choice and Csemez was rocked by a stiff uper left in the opening round.
The first round felt like the only time the fighters were close on the scorecards, but those at ringside felt otherwise.
Another hammer-handed left-right in the second clipped the Slovakian and a game of inches was getting wider, McGinty the aggressor of the contest.
[adrotate group=”38″]His combinations were landing, the left hand in particular was making its mark and McGinty had the aura of a boxer who was in control of his destinty.
Csemez’s left jab asked questions of McGinty but not, it seemed, enough to sway the bout.
AIBA are using the scores of all five ringside judges in these Championships and, on a split decision, McGinty bowed out, to the surprise of everyone, even the boxers themselves, whose very demeanour could have told the correct outcome.
[adrotate group=”46″]They both had a common denominator with recent defeats to Mohammad Harris Akbar, the English boxer who defeated McGinty in last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games final in Samoa and also overcame Csemez in the European Youths in Russia earlier this year.
Csemez left those Championships with a bronze medal, following that defeat by Akbar.
The 18-year-old St Johnston man began superbly on Friday in his opening contest.
While Csemez was given a bye through the opening day of action, McGinty had to face Thailand’s Kiattisak Promchuay.
[adrotate group=”76″]McGinty turned in a fine display and, after handing the Thai two counts in the second round, the bout was stopped in the third as Promchuay had had enough of McGinty’s power.
Captain of the Irish team, Friday’s win was a big settler for the experienced Donegal ace, who has previously won a European Schoolboys bronze (2012) and Commonwealth Youth Games silver (2015)
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