Ireland’s Brendan Irvine exited the competition in the men’s flyweight division after a loss to Filipino opponent Carlo Paalam in the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo early on Monday morning.
Irvine, competing in his second Olympics after his debut in Rio, was unable to overcome a sluggish first round, when he was rocked by his hyper-aggressive opponent and found himself behind on all five judges scorecards.
He gradually improved, rousing himself in a more even second round and drawing level on two of the judges’ scorecards.
The Belfast fighter had marginally the better of the third and final round but it wasn’t enough to make up the ground lost in the opening round.
Paalam was adjudged the winner on a 4-1 split decision, the judges scorecards reading 30-27, 29-28, 28-29, 30-27, 29-28 in favour of the victor.
