On The Ball with Nigel Kelly

"The last round just killed him" - Cassidy bows out of European games

"The last round just killed him" - Cassidy bows out of European games
Jordan Norris
Jordan Norris
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He will have more chances, but the week in Poland did not end how Waterford boxer Kelyn Cassidy would have liked.

He was beaten by Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the quarter-finals of the European Games on Wednesday and with that defeat, one door closes on his hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics next summer.

Khyzhniak advanced to the semi-finals of this tournament and also guaranteed himself a place in France in 2024, but it was anything but straightforward.

The judges scored it as a split decision in favour of the boxer in the blue corner, with Cassidy slumping to his knees as the result was read aloud.

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A standing ten-count from the referee in the final round proved to be a point of debate with many flagging it as a "soft" call against the Waterford man.

Former senior-elite champion Lynne O Shea spoke to Nigel Kelly to reflect on what the result means for the Ballybeg native.

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