BY CHRIS MCNULTY
JASON Quigley is through to the last sixteen at the IABA World Championships.
In his opening bout this morning, Quigley overcame the Indian Vijender Singh to advance in the middleweight division.
Quigley took a 2-0 decision.
The 22-year old Finn Valley ABC boxer was the 30-26, 30-26, 28-28 winner over Vijender, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics and the 2009 World Championships.
“Brilliant,” gasped Quigley after a win that sends him into a last sixteen bout on Monday against Aston Brown from Scotland.
“I knew getting in there today that I was in with a Beijing Olympian.
“I knew that I was up against it. He had a win under his belt against the Swedish lad (Hampus Henriksson).
“I got in there, got the rust off myself.
“As everybody knows, I’m an active boxer and I never take anyone for granted. I went in and gave it a rattle. Every fight is a final.”
There was a slight worry for the Quigley camp at the end of the first round when the Ballybofey man sustained a cut on the right-hand side of his head following a clash.
Quigley had to consul with the ringside doctor.
He said: “After I felt the doctor hitting the side of the head I knew I was grand because I knew that it wasn’t going to impair my vision or give any reason for the referee to stop it.”
Vijender received a warning for a low blow in the third round, but Quigley felt that he had found his rhythm by the final stanza of the contest – his first ever at world senior level.
The triple European gold medalist said: “I felt comfortable. My best part of the fight was at the start of the last round. I started to use my skill and could just relax.
“It’s great to have that fight, have not a great performance against a lad of that calibre and go into the next round is a mighty achievement for me.”
There was a bizarre exchange as Quigley was giving his thoughts to Ken Egan, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist.
A passer-by from the Indian contingent mocked Quigley ‘lucky, lucky, lucky’, but the Donegal man gave one of those relaxed responses straight out of the Ballybofey book of ripostes: “Aye, whatever ye think yerself!”
And with that, Quigley, the fifth seed, was off to prepare for Monday’s last sixteen round against Scottish opponent Brown, who defeated Korea’s Jaemin Jeong.
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