Irish boxer Michael Conlan is one win away from World Championship gold

Belfast fighter Michael Conlan has won at least a bronze at the World Boxing Championship after a confident win over Azerbaijan’s Tayfur Aliyev. “I just knew I had to keep to my game plan because he [Asanau] was going to fold – he’s only a young lad”, said Conlan after the bout. “The final will be for my daughter”.

“Michael’s next fight is a world title fight and he has got to win it”, said team coach Billy Walsh while O’Reilly acknowledged that he must now focus on the box-off despite his obvious disappointment, declaring: “I came here to qualify for the Olympics”.

But he dedicated his semi-final win to brother Jamie – an undefeated pro boxer on his birthday – after he had already ensured a medal on the same day as his mother Teresa celebrated her birthday on Saturday. I kept my cool and held by patience, I didn’t panic.

It was the same in the second as Conlan nearly had the Belarussian on the floor with a sharp right, but somehow two of the three judges saw it different leaving the scores tied on their cards going into the last with all to play for.

Having won the first round on all three judges’ cards; Conlan did likewise in the final round to fashion a unanimous 3-0 on a 30-27; 29-28, 29-28 score. The fight probably hinged on closing half minute of the first round.

Once the same two judges gave Melikuziev the second round he had an unassailable 20-18 advantage. I’m bound to get a little but exhausted… “I’m not settling on it [bronze] but I’ll take the next fight as it comes and stay focused and see how it goes”.

The 21-year-old Irishman, who previously picked up bronze at the 2013 Worlds, will face Elshod Rasulov of Uzbekistan in the last four tomorrow – another former foe who Ward has defeated in the past.

Meanwhile, O’Reilly had looked set to claim an Olympic spot but his status is more complicated due to global governing body AIBA’s convoluted qualification process and it now seems likely that the 22-year-old will have to reach the middleweight final or win a third-place box-off to qualify for Rio.

And, worryingly for Ward, the 29-year-old appears to be hitting form again – as evidenced by his victory over defending champion Adibek Niyazymbetov in the quarter-finals.