Boxer Barnes into quarter-finals

Paddy Barnes from Belfast won his opening fight in Beijing

Belfast's Paddy Barnes is just one fight away from an Olympic medal after beating Jose Luis Meza of Ecuador in the second round in Beijing.

The Irish light-flyweight champion, who had a first-round bye, won 14-8 and will now meet Poland's Lukasz Maszczyk in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Barnes, a world quarter-finalist in 2007, was down 3-2 after round one.

But he took the next 4-0, shared the third and finished strongly to take the fourth round 5-2 for a convincing win.

"It is brilliant to get the first fight out of the way, to ease myself into it," said 21-year-old Barnes.

"I had a nervous week waiting but now I have been in there and I think it will be easier next time."