Newtownstewart native Gallagher had started boxing two years earlier as an eight-year-old when he joined his brother Noel at the Bishop Kelly Club in Eskra.

“It was just something I tried out and I took a liking to it straight away. I just kept at. Kept training.”

All the long hours of training that began at the Bishop Kelly Club culminated in Gallagher producing the perfect performance to outclass Ovezov in Monday’s crunch quarter-final bout in Busto Arsizio near Milan.

The judges had not been particularly kind to the Ireland team in northern Italy but Gallagher “took it out of their hands” by producing his best display of the week following three earlier wins.

“I didn’t expect the fight to go as well as it did. I didn’t expect to give him a count or put him down but that’s just the way it worked out,” added the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

“I knew coming out here it was going to be a big challenge with at least four fights to qualify and in a stacked division with top fighters from across the world.

“I just took it one fight at a time. I never looked ahead or who I could potentially meet. Just one fight and one round at a time.

“Thankfully as the tournament went on, I got better and better and last night was my best performance when I needed it most.”