John Joe Nevin will fight Oscar Fierro Valdez in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

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Damian McCarney

John Joe Nevin eased into the quarter-finals of the bantam weight division with an impressive victory over a highly rated Kazak boxer this afternoon.

The Cavan Boxing Club representative confidently out-boxed Nevin Kanat Abutalipov, taking the first two rounds comfortably and drawing the third to finish up winning 15-10.

Nevin now have to face tough Mexican Oscar Fierro Valdez in the quarter-finals on Sunday at 8.45pm. Valdez (21) will be a dangerous opponent having won all three rounds against world number one Anvar Yunusov of Tajikistan to claim a memorbale 13-7 victory.

The 23-year-old Mullingar native's victory was built on the platform of an excellent first round in which he led 5-2. Abutalipov was then forced to chase Nevin, whose lightning hand speed was matched only by his footwork in countering the Kazak's punches.

Varying his angles Nevin exploited the southpaw's determination to get back into the fight, and took the second round 5-3. They shared the final round 5-5 although Nevin always looked in command.

The victory over the Kazak followed his defeat of the Denmark boxer Dennis Ceylan in the round of 32 last Saturday.