Having achieved his lifelong ambition of following in the footsteps of his teenage hero Darren Sutherland and becoming an Olympian, Dubliner Emmet Brennan would have been forgiven for hoping to catch a break in the draw.

Instead he pulled the short straw in the shape of 22-year-old southpaw Dilshodbex Ruzmetov from Uzbekistan. Though not one of the four seeded fighters in the light heavyweight draw, Ruzmetov has impressive credentials.

He is the current Asian champion and won a silver medal at the 2019 World championships in Russia. He also won the gold medal at the Strandja tournament in Sofia earlier this year where the Irish management would have seen him in action.

Brennan will have to produce a lifetime best performance to have any chance of advancing to the last 16. But the 30-year from North Strand is used to fighting against the odds. He won a box-off against Sweden’s Liridon Nuha to secure a slot in Tokyo despite having a point deducted in the final round for holding.

A member of Docklands Boxing club based in Sheriff Street where he is jointly coached by Jimmy Halpin and Philip Keogh, Brennan then set his sights on the Olympic qualifier in London. By then Covid-19 had begun to engulf the world. He won his first fight via knock out at the qualifier and was solely focussed on his next fight when the tournament was abandoned. He had to wait 16 months before confirming his place on the plane to Tokyo

Brennan is expected in the ring at 12.45 on Sunday in the Kogugikan Arena. This is his once in a lifetime opportunity to knock one of the fancied contenders out of the Tokyo Games. Realistically though the odds are stacked against him.