The Irish boxers on Katie Taylor's trail at the Olympics: When and who they're fighting

Half of Ireland's 32 all-time Olympic medals have come in the sport of boxing.

Michael Carruth's gold at Barcelona '92, Kenny Egan's silver at Beijing 2008, and Katie Taylor's gold at London 2012 are moments that have entered local Irish sporting lore.

Seven Irish boxers set out to continue that fine tradition and become heroes in their own right at Tokyo 2020, and three are still standing: Aidan Walsh, Kurt Walker, and Kellie Harrington.

Here's when they're fighting, who they're fighting, and previews of each bout.

Kurt Walker boxes in the quarter finals on Sunday 1 August 11:30 JST (3:30am Irish time)

Kurt Walker caused a sensation on Wednesday 28 July when he defeated the No.1 seed and reigning world champ Mirzakhalilov Mirazizbek on the Tokyo 2020 canvas.

Walker put on a clinic of counter-punching and eliminated the favourite to set early-morning social media alight in Ireland.

A shock, a surprise, a stunning victory for everyone but the Lisburn-born fighter who said "Told ya!" to his team as he bounced down from the ring after winning on a split-decision 4-1, taking out the Uzbek World and Asian champion.

“I just knew I was smarter and faster than him," he told Irish broadcaster the RTE in the post-fight interview.

"That is enough to win me a fight in most cases. I knew he was going to come on strong but he was very predictable. I was able to read him and use my feints to my benefit,” he explained.

That massive moment came after his opening victory against Spain’s Jose Quiles 'Crazy Horse' Brotons, which Walker won by unanimous decision.

His composure and ability to fight in different ways promises much as his quarter final approaches on Sunday against the USA's Duke Ragan, another professional boxer who won silver at the 2017 Worlds and at the 2019 PanAms.

With an extra year due to the pandemic, Walker's life has changed with the arrival of daughter Layla, and he knows what he's fighting for.

“I have started to mature a bit,” he told the Irish Times in the run up to Tokyo 2020. “It helps what I am fighting for and I know she is going to be proud of me when she is older.”

He's matured in the ring too, reading his opponents better and growing in confidence with every win.

Before the fight against Mirazizbek, Walker said:

“He has two arms and two legs like myself, it doesn’t bother me,” said Walker. “If you want to be the best you have to beat the best. I have won a fight in the Olympics more than I thought I would do a year ago so I’m happy and I will keep going.”

Now he'll feel the same with Ragan waiting in the quarter finals, both men just one win from an Olympic medal.

Watch: Kurt Walker (IRL) vs. Duke Ragan (USA) - Sunday 1 August 11:30 JST (3:30am Irish time).

Aidan Walsh boxes Sunday 1 August 12:03pm JST (4:03am in Ireland)

Aidan Walsh is guaranteed a medal in the men's welter, the only question is the colour.

After a superb fight against Mauritius' Mervin Clair, where Walsh was tactically superior, surgical with his point scoring shots, and quick enough to keep himself out of danger when he knew he was ahead, winning 4-1 on the judges' scorecard.

Clair is the 2019 African Games champ but couldn't cope with Walsh's movement, speed, and superior plan.

"It's amazing, I don't know what to say," Walsh told the RTE after the fight, also talking about the great relationship he has with his sister, who's now his biggest supporter after she was eliminated.

The siblings made history as the first sister-brother combination to compete in the same Olympic Games’ boxing competition, and the siblings had the nation behind them heading into the Games.

Michaela lost out in a tough opening bout against Italy's Irma Testa and is now ringside for Aidan's fights, supporting her brother all the way.

A unanimous 5-0 decision in his first fight against Cameroon fighter Albert Mengue Ayissi, Walsh stayed focussed in Tokyo, listened to his coaches and it's paid off.

The Belfast bruiser came through his men's welterweight 63-69kg fight unscathed and his win gave Team Ireland boxing a big boost after some setbacks in other fights.

There was plenty to cheer in his first fight as Aidan outclassed Mengue Assissi, the welterweight from Monkstown BC in Newtownabbey never in trouble.

Now he faces Britain's Pat McCormack who also fought in Tokyo with a sibling - his twin brother Luke. Pat is 2019 European Games champion and World silver medallist but Walsh isn't worried.

When he was asked what he thought about having to fight Great Britain's Pat McCormack next he said:

"He has to fight Ireland's Aidan Walsh."

Watch: Michael Walsh (IRL) vs. Pat McCormack (GBR) - Sunday 1 August 12:03pm JST (4:03am in Ireland)

Kellie Harrington boxes Tuesday 3 August 12:35am JST (4:35am in Ireland)

Kellie Harrington is Ireland's final boxing medal hope in the women's light 57-60kg category, and she's just one fight from the podium.

The 'Portland Pouncer' is 2018 world champion and made short work of Italian fighter Rebecca Nicoli, outclassing her in ever department for a clean 5-0 win.

Boxing helped steer Harrington away from a dangerous path in life:

"Basically to get myself out of trouble, because I was heading down that wrong way and I haven't looked back since," she told RTE Radio.

"It's been great for me. Every time I win a medal, I feel like I'm making up for everything that I put my parents through. They're the first people that I ring when I step out of the ring."

Now 31 years old, she was proud to be chosen as Ireland's flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony.

“This means so much to me, to be able to represent not only myself as a person, but as a boxer, for boxing, for my family and for Ireland"

The nation is hoping that the Opening Ceremony isn't her only proud moment at Tokyo 2020, and she faces Algeria's Imane Khelif for a guaranteed medal on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Algerian is a bit of an unknown quantity and Harrington will be fancied by many to control this bout and put Ireland on another podium.

Watch: Kellie Harrington vs. Imane Khelif - Tuesday 3 August 12:35am JST (4:35am in Ireland)

Emmet Brennan: Irish boxer goes viral

Of Ireland's seven boxers that made it to Tokyo 2020, four have been eliminated.

Brendan Irvine, Michaela Walsh, Aoife O'Rourke and Emmet Brennan were knocked out in the first round of an Olympic boxing competition that is setting incredibly high standards.

Irvine was the team captain but lost out to Filipino Carlo Paalam in the first round, a devastating blow in a fight he thought he'd done enough to win.

“It was a close fight. I thought he won the first round, but I won the second and third rounds. But that’s boxing," he said afterwards, "I’m just devastated to be honest with you."

In Rio five years ago, he lost out to eventual gold medallist, Shakhobdin Zoirov from Uzbekistan. Now he's supporting his team from the stands, taking up the captain's role outside the ring.

24-year-old Aoife O'Rourke's Olympic debut was cut short by Chinese boxer Li Qian in the 69-75kg middleweight division round of 16.

Li (31), was a tough ask in her maiden bout, an Olympic bronze medallist from Rio 2016 and 2018 middleweight world champion. The Chinese slugger took it by a 5-0 unanimous decision

Emmet Brennan went out to classy operator Dilshod Ruzmetov from Uzbekistan he gave an interview that melted Irish hearts, a raw and real interview where the tears flowed and the stories of the support from his family, the loans, the struggle it took to get this far.

Desperately disappointed, he felt he had left everybody down, the tears flowed in a real and raw interview post-fight which went viral, and the support he received back home was overwhelming.

When someone set up an online account to donate money to help pay off his loans, Brennan shut it down straight away, saying a sponsor had covered those costs.

A classy operator himself, inside and outside of the ring.