Ward victory means two Irish are vying for gold in Bulgaria

Ireland has a gold medal to celebrate at the European Championships in Bulgaria today.

Michael Conlon is through to the European Boxing Championships final after a dominant win over fiery Italian fighter Francesco Maietta in Samokov, Bulgaria on Friday.

Another Irish boxer, light-heavyweight Joe Ward, beat Peter Mullenberg of the Netherlands on a unanimous decision to regain the European title he won four years ago.

“I don’t lose”, Conlan told RTE Sport prior to the final and it looks like he was right.

“I’m happy enough as long as I’m winning I’m happy”.

“I am here to win gold”.

Dean Walsh, meanwhile was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision but he goes home with a bronze medal.

It was Ward’s second European gold medal. “I’m sickened. I should be in the final”, he said.

Wexford welter Adam Nolan also qualified for Qatar after Belarusian Pavel Kastramin won his semi-final last night.

Irish head coach Billy Walsh, who is working Conlan’s corner with Zaur Antia and Eddie Bolger, believes that the Commonwealth final in Glasgow will have little bearing on today’s decider.