Donegal middleweight Jason Quigley scored a semi-final win at the World Amateur Boxing Championship semifinal in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Friday, October 25. The unanimous decision by the judges in favor of the Irish 22-year-old ensured Quigley will go down in history as the first Irish boxer ever to make it to a World Final.

Quigley, a product of Finn Valley Boxing Club, earned scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 in the middleweight (165lbs) three-rounder against Russia’s Artem Chebotarev.

The Donegal boxer has been fighting at middleweight in the senior ranks for the last 18 months. In that time he has never been defeated, and has a record of 32 victories under his belt.

The fight was stopped three times by the referee to clean up Chebotarev’s blood, since Quigley’s aggressive style of boxing ensured that his opponent was left battered and bruised.

Despite the stoppage, which occurred in the third round and taking a standing count in the second round, Quigley was two rounds ahead of his Russian counterpart, guaranteeing him a silver medal.

Speaking to Irish reporters after the fight, Quigley commented on his strategy.

“I knew he was going to come at me,” he told the Irish Times.

“I knew I had the speed and the skill to beat him. But in the last round they told me to go forward, to go at him, which I did and I got him some lovely heavy shots. His nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.” 

Previous Irish boxers who fought at these championships include Olympic silver medalist turned professional boxer John Joe Nevin, who secured a bronze medal at these championships in both 2009 and 2011.

Quigley, who is now making history as first time holder of a Silver medal at these championships is hoping to outshine his own record-breaking moment by becoming World Champion on Saturday, October 26.