PADDY BARNES WILL return home to Belfast with another bronze medal on Monday.
Beaten 15 points to nil by the Chinese fighter Shiming Zou in Beijing four years ago, their clash at the ExCel Arena this afternoon ended 15-15 after three intense rounds.
The countback result was 45-44 in favour of Zou.
“The first round cost me the fight,” the light-flyweight told RTÉ afterwards. “It’s just a shame I couldn’t work that bit harder. But I had nothing left in the tank, I had given it my all. What can I do?
“He’s so elusive, so he is,” Barnes said of multiple world champion, Zou. I tried to pin him down but he has so much ring-craft, he’s so good.”
Barnes is the first boxer to win medals at consecutive Olympic Games. John Joe Nevin is next into the ring for Ireland while Michael Conlan fights tonight.
