Rated at Welterweight Stance Orthodox Division Welterweight | Nationality Irish Height 1.82 m | |
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Born 7 September 1988 (age 28)
Ballymena, Northern Ireland ( 1988-09-07 ) Profiles | ||
Steven donnelly v khariton agrba 69kg
Steven Gerard Donnelly (born 7 September 1988) is an Irish amateur boxer from Ballymena, Northern Ireland who has qualified to represent Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Steven donnelly
Boxing career
Donnelly represented Northern Ireland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Dehli, India. Competing in the light welterweight division he faced Australian Luke Woods in the first round and was eliminated from the competition after a 0–10 loss. Following his defeat Donnelly was subsequently sent home from the Games by team management after drinking alcohol and causing a disturbance in the athlete's village. After this he became disillusioned with the sport and quit boxing for two years before eventually returning to the All Saints Boxing Club in Ballymena.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland, Donnelly was again selected for the Northern Ireland team. Competing in the welterweight division he defeated Hasan Asif of Pakistan in the round of 32, Oscar Finau of Tonga in the round of 16 and Canadian Custio Clayton in the quarterfinals. In his semifinal Donnelly was beaten on a split judge's decision by India’s Mandeep Jangra, meaning he finished with a bronze medal.
Donnelly took part in the 2015 World Series of Boxing, representing the Polish Hussars team. He won five of his six fights, beating Kazakhstan's Madiyar Ashkeyev, Brian Ceballo of the United States, Puerto Rican Nicklaus Flaz Guillen, Alberto Palmetta of Argentina and Italy's Dario Morello, but was defeated by Venezuelan Gabriel Maestre and suffered a walkover defeat after visa issues meant he was unable to travel to fight Azerbaijan's Parviz Baghirov.
Donnelly qualified to compete in the men's welterweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, via his fourth-place ranking in the World Series of Boxing. Only the top two ranked athletes were due to qualify through the rankings but two of the athletes ranked ahead of him qualified by alternate methods, Morocco’s Mohammad Rabii secured his place through the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships and Andrey Zamkovoy won the Russian championships to confirm his place.
Donnelly was found placing bets on boxing events at the 2016 Olympic Games, violating the IOC rules. Accordingly, he was sanctioned with a severe reprimand by the Disciplinary Commission of the IOC.
Personal life
Donnelly was born on 7 September 1988 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.