Illies Golden Gloves boxer William McLaughlin came away from Austria at the weekend with a bronze medal to his name.

And it was an excellent performance against his Czech Republic opponent which won him the medal, having been beaten in his first fight.

William, who was part of a three man squad representing Ireland, was defeated by his German opponent in his first fight by 18 points to 10, however an outstanding 23-9 win in his second fight secured him the bronze medal.

“I was happy enough to come away with a bronze medal. A medal’s still a medal at the end of the day.

“But I was actually hoping to come away with a silver or a gold medal, so I was a bit disappointed in that respect, but it’s still a good achievement.

“The German in my first fight was really hard, and it was a real test for me. He stood a foot taller than me too, which gave him a bit of an advantage.

“30 seconds into the first fight I hurt my left shoulder which made matters a lot worse for me. But I was able to hold my own in the fight.

“In some ways it was good to get beat in the first fight because you learn more from getting beat. I was more up for my second fight to win the bronze as well.

“It was a great experience and these are the kind of fights you want behind you.”

William will now be going to Dublin this Friday for a qualifier run over two weekends to see who will go to the European championships in Liverpool.