TOWEL over his head, eyes reddening, the immediate head-spinning trauma of his Olympic exit was just taking hold as Dean Clancy made his way through the mixed zone at the North Paris Arena.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, but then the air is thin at the very top of any sport. In the cold light of day, several different factors could be considered.
It is over 11 months since the Sligo man joyously sealed his Olympic spot at the European Games in Poland but, with only a handful of fights in the time between, rediscovering that momentum, that fire can be tough.
In front of a full house, he started slowly, with the teak tough Obada Al-Kasbeh establishing his jab and forcing the pace from the off. Another factor was the Jordanian’s experience – at 29, and a veteran of the Rio Olympics eight years ago, there is little he hasn’t seen.
Clancy, on the other hand, remains relatively new to the elite scene.
Al-Kasbeh kept coming and edged the second, though Clancy finally started to find his distance and his range, a flurry of jabs raising a roar from the Irish crowd – which included a travelling party of family and friends from back home – in the dying seconds.
However, there was a shaft of light when Al-Kasbeh received an official warning for a low blow midway through the third, a shot to the ribs, the referee taking a dim view after he also clipped Clancy with a left to the jaw when a tangle left the Irish boxer on his knees in the second.
Having sparred Al-Kasbeh in a training camp in Saarbrucken three weeks ago, Clancy had a fair idea what was coming.
“He was rough and ready, he got me a couple of elbows when you jumped in with a jab, but look it’s boxing.
“I did rounds with him before so I kind of expected that.”
Boxing better as the Jordanian faded, three of the judges saw the final round in Clancy’s favour – but it wasn’t enough as, after a lengthy delay, it was confirmed that while the Canadian and Hungarian judges were in favour of the Irishman, 29-27, two from Morocco and Algeria scored it a draw, with the Iranian judge favouring Al-Kasbeh.
In that situation, the two judges who scored the fight a draw are asked to pick a winner. Had either gone for Clancy, he would have progressed to a last 16 showdown against French favourite Sofiane Oumiha on Monday – but both went for Al-Kasbeh.
That makes defeat an even more difficult pill to swallow; the finest of fine margins between agony and ecstasy.
“I thought it was a good fight… it took me a bit to get my distance right,” said the 22-year-old, a European U22 gold medallist three years ago.
“I knew it was going to be a rough and physical fight, I thought at the end of the first I had found my distance… I thought I could keep that pace going.
“Maybe it was experience, I don’t know. I felt I landed the clearer shots.”
Being the first of the Irish contingent between the ropes is a tough ask for any fighter on this stage, and Clancy’s slow start ultimately proved costly.
“I’ll be out cheering my team-mates tomorrow that are starting but I’m really disappointed.
“I was more nervous coming on the bus - I don’t really mind the crowd. Obviously it’s amazing to be in the ring, I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in.
“I want to thank all my family and friends for coming out, sorry I didn’t get the win today…”
SCHEDULE
Times BST
Sunday, July 28
71kg last 32: A Walsh v M Traore (France) – 10.22am
66kg last 32: G Walsh v A Hamori (Hungary) – 4.22pm
92kg last 16: J Marley v M Bereznicki (Poland) – 7.32pm
Monday, July 29
60kg last 16: K Harrington v A Mesiano (Italy)/G Ozem (Turkey) – 1.46pm
Tuesday, July 30
54kg last 16: J Lehane v Y Chang (China) – 10.36am
Wednesday, July 31
57kg last 32: J Gallagher v C Paalam (Phillipines) – 1.30pm
75kg last 16: A O’Rourke v E Wojcik (Poland) – 7.52pm
Thursday, August 1
51kg last 16: D Moorehouse v W Lkhadiri (France) – 6pm
Friday, August 2
57kg last 16: M Walsh v SK Staneva (Bulgaria) – 1.46pm
