MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
With seven finalists, GB boxers win a record-breaking eight medals at the European championships, writes John Dennen
HISTORIC results for the GB boxing team saw their squad win a record-breaking eight medals at the European championships in Kharkiv, Ukraine. GB boxers featured in seven of the 10 finals on June 24 with Peter Mcgrail becoming the first Englishman to win a European gold medal since Luke Campbell in 2008. That Mcgrail and Campbell are the only male English European amateur champions in the last 56 years is a testament to the scale of that accomplishment.
Mcgrail had to contend with the home nation’s Mykola Butsenko in the 56kgs final, even managing to overcome a point deduction, for failing to keep his head up, to secure a split decision win. The Liverpool southpaw put his skills to full use, bobbing under Butsenko’s attacks to land counters.
“I knew I was going to do well and I was only coming for the gold medal,” Mcgrail said. “It did seem
‘I KNEW I WAS GOING TO DO WELL. I WAS ONLY COMING FOR THE GOLD MEDAL’
like a long way away when I first got here. I knew it was going to be five tough fights. Now I’m here I’ve done it.” “I am absolutely buzzing. I don’t think there has ever been a European champion from Liverpool before, so to be the first is amazing,” he added. “It’s been a really tough week but I thought I boxed well today. It was a bit worrying when I got a point taken off, but to think that I still won, even with the point off, shows that I was definitely the better man on the day.” There could well have been more gold medals for Britain, with Galal Yafai unlucky to miss out. Galal became the third Yafai brother to win a European medal, but was denied in the light-flyweight final, losing a split decision to Russia’s Vasily Egorov, the defending European champion. Yafai did little wrong, moving forward quickly to land solid straight shots as well as bringing quality lead right hooks round. Egorov responded in kind but didn’t fight his way on to the front foot. Performing well, Yafai finished the last round strongly but the Russian’s efforts were rewarded with a split decision.
At the opposite end of the size spectrum Frazer Clarke had the misfortune of meeting the Ukrainian Viktor Vikhrist in the super-heavyweight final. Clarke
began brightly, connecting with quality jabs early on before bringing his cross over the top. Vikhrist took control of the second but Clarke recovered himself to compete fiercely for the third, dashing a hard right across the Ukrainian’s jaw. With the crowd behind him Vikhrist took a unanimous decision win.
Frazer had taken a split decision over French super-heavy Djamili
Dine Aboudou in the semi-final. “If you come to these European competitions and you expect to have an easy fight, you’re in the wrong place. He’s young, he showed ambition and good skill,” Clarke said. “Considering the things I had going on this week, I’m proud of myself… It’s not been perfect but that’s the hand I’ve been dealt. You’ve got to play with those cards.” English heavyweight Cheavon
Clarke was one of the revelations of the tournament. A two-time national champion he may be but the Gravesham 91kgs is an international novice. But as he progressed he hammered Azerbaijan’s top heavyweight
Abdulkadhir Abdullayev to a stoppage defeat inside the first round, dancing as he halted his opponent.
The ebullient Englishman reached the final, where he faced Russia’s big Evgeniy Tishchenko, a controversial gold medallist at Rio 2016. This decision was not outrageous, with his long punches the Russian threw out flurries of quick punches as Clarke closed in. But Cheavon gave him all he could handle, pushing through to hammer hard shots into Tishchenko’s body. Clarke lost a unanimous decision but made a statement on the international stage. He has an exciting future ahead of him.
Niall Farrell was another to have a hugely impressive championship. He also met a defending champion in his final,
Bulgarian flyweight Daniel Asenov. Just 19 years old, Farrell has only won the English Elite championships for the first time this year but defeated the likes of Reece Mcfadden and Ireland’s Brendan Irvine on his way to the
final.
Statuesque at 52kgs, Farrell acquitted himself well against Asenov, but the solid Bulgarian won by split decision.
Luke Mccormack and his twin brother Pat Mccormack both featured in European finals, both in excellent three-round battles, but both had to settle for silver. At 64kgs Luke faced heavy handed Armenian Hovhannes Bachkov. Luke scored well with quality combinations in the first round. But Bachkov withstood the attacks and kept Luke moving back. Hovhannes roared back at him, marauding forward to drag Mccormack into a war in the last round. Bachkov managed to keep himself on the front foot to take a unanimous points decision. German welterweight Abbas
Baraou must be made of iron. Pat Mccormack shot accurate punches through his guard, his punishing right uppercuts particularly eyecatching. Pat was more accurate, boxing with skill. But Baraou was relentless and maintained a ceaseless assault, refusing to take a backwards step. Abbas won a split decision, and will be a force to reckon with at the World championships in Hamburg later this year.
‘IF YOU COME HERE AND EXPECT TO HAVE AN EASY FIGHT, YOU’RE IN THE WRONG PLACE’
Pat had beaten Ukraine’s Evgen
Barabanov in the semi-final to reach his second consecutive European final. “Every time he threw a punch, even if it didn’t hit us the crowd was going wild so I had to push on and get the win comfortably,” Mccormack said. “I started to feel comfortable going on the back foot and catching him with big shots. He pushed us but it was a comfortable win.
“Everyone’s over the moon. It’s the best we’ve done at the Europeans in over 90 years. Everyone’s buzzing.”
Significantly through this competition, by finishing in the top eight, 10 British boxers have qualified for the Worlds. GB lightweight Calum French was their team’s eighth medallist, winning a bronze medal after losing to Ukraine’s Yuriy Shestak on a split decision in their semifinal. The result snapped French’s remarkable unbeaten run. Calum hadn’t lost since the 2012 Junior ABAS and had won every previous bout of his for GB but can be proud of winning a medal in his first major international tournament. His conqueror Shestak went on to win the gold in Kharkiv.
“To bring such an inexperienced team to a tournament as difficult as the European championships and leave with eight medals, with seven boxers making the final, is an unprecedented achievement by the boxers, the coaches and all of the team,” said GB performance director Rob Mccracken. “Peter Mcgrail boxed superbly today. He is a great talent and showed his full range of skills and I thought he fully deserved to win the title.
“All of the boxers have acquitted themselves superbly throughout this week, and after some excellent performances today, I think the team can consider itself very unlucky to come away with only one gold medal.
“Most of this team were coming here to get some experience and for so many of them to perform so well in their first major international tournament is absolutely fantastic. We have also
‘EVERYONE’S OVER THE MOON. IT’S THE BEST WE’VE DONE AT THE EUROPEANS IN OVER 90 YEARS. EVERYONE’S BUZZING’
‘EVERY TIME I REPRESENT MY COUNTRY IT MEANS A LOT TO ME. SUCCESS MAKES ME SO PROUD’
qualified 10 boxers for the World championships later in the year, so it augurs very well for the future development of the squad as we progress through the Olympic cycle towards Tokyo 2020.”
Brendan Irvine at 52kgs and Kurt Walker at 56kgs both won bronze medals for Ireland. Farrell brought Irvine’s run to an end in their semi-final, while Ukraine’s Butsenko overcame Walker on a unanimous decision at the semifinal stage.
Ireland’s star, as he so often has been, was Joe Ward. The light-heavyweight, putting his Olympic disappointment behind him, won his third European championship, a remarkable feat. He outboxed Russia’s Muslim Gadzhimagomedov in the 81kgs final, winning unanimously.
In the semi-final Ward unanimously outpointed Italy’s Valentino Manfredonia. “He was an awkward opponent, didn’t want to engage,” Ward said. “I didn’t want to overcomplicate things.
“It’s always a tense moment when you’re going into the European championships, but I’m in fairly good shape and I was really looking forward to it. It’s my third European championships now, my third medal, it’s become second
nature to me now.
“Every time I represent my country it means a lot to me and to be successful makes me so proud.”
The home nation’s star boxer was middleweight
Olexandr Khizhnyak, who
savaged Azerbaijan’s Kamran
Shakhsuvarly, an Olympic bronze medallist, in the 75kgs final as he won a wide unanimous decision. RESULTS (Britain & Ireland):
49: Galal Yafai (England) outpd Nodari Darbaidze (Georgia) unan, Aqeel Ahmed (Scotland) outpd Salah Ibrahim (Germany) split, Yafai outpd Ahmed unan, Yafai outpd Samuel Carmona (Spain) split, Vasiliy Egorov (Russia) outpd Yafai split.
52: Niall Farrell (England) outpd Reece Mcfadden (Scotland) unan, Brendan Irvine (Ireland) outpd Batuhan Ciftci (Turkey) unan, Farrell outpd Manuel Cappai (Italy) unan, Irvine outpd Gabriel Escobar (Spain) unan, Farrell outpd Irvine unan, Daniel Asenov (Bulgaria) outpd Farrell split.
56: Peter Mcgrail (England) outpd Nandor Czoka (Hungary) unan, Lee Mcgregor (Scotland) outpd Omar El Hag (Germany) split, Kurt Walker (Ireland) outpd Severiane Chiladze (Georgia) unan, Mcgrail outpd Dmitriy Asanov (Belarus) split, Mcgregor outpd Bakhtovar Nazirov (Russia) split, Walker outpd Tayfur Aliyev (Azerbaijan) split, Mcgrail outpd Ahmed Chaouki El Ahmed (Denmark) unan, Mykola Butsenko (Ukraine) outpd Mcgregor unan, Walker outpd Raffaele Di Serio (Italy) split, Mcgrail outpd Jose Quiles (Spain) unan, Butsenko outpd Walker unan, Mcgrail outpd Butsenko split. 60: Stipan Prtenjaca (Croatia) outpd Nathaniel Collins (Scotland) split, Arthur Bril (Germany) outpd Patrick Mongan (Ireland) unan, Calum French (England) outpd Arslan Khatajev (Finland) unan, French outpd Enrico La Cruz (Netherlands) split, Yuriy Shestak (Ukraine) outpd French split.
64: Sean Mccomb (Ireland) outpd Erik Agateljan (Czech Republic) unan, Luke Mccormack (England) outpd Mger Oganesyan (Ukraine) split, Robbie Mckechnie (Scotland) outpd Semjon Karhanin (Estonia) split, Mccomb outpd Vitaliy Dunaytsev (Russia) split, Mccormack (England) outpd Johan Orozco (Spain) unan, Hadi Srour (Norway) outpd Mckechnie split, Mccormack outpd Mccomb (Ireland) split, Mccormack outpd Evaldas Petrauskas (Lithuania) split, Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia) outpd Mccormack unan.
69: Pat Mccormack (England) outpd Saimonas Banys (Lithuania) unan, Sergey Sobylinskiy (Russia) outpd Stephen Donnelly (Ireland) unan, Mccormack outpd Adope Sylva (Sweden) unan, Mccormack outpd Sobylinskiy unan, Mccormack outpd Evgen Barabanov (Ukraine) unan, Abbas Baraou (Germany) outpd Mccormack split.
75: Ben Whittaker (England) outpd Arjon Kajoshi (Albania) unan, Olexandr Khizhnyak (Ukraine) outpd Whittaker unan. 81: Sean Lazzerini (Scotland) outpd Bogdan Juratoni (Romania) unan, Thomas Whittaker Hart (England) outpd Dzemal Bosnjak (Bosnia) unan, Joe Ward (Ireland) outpd Matus Strnisko (Slovakia) unan, Lazzerini outpd Alejandro Camacho (Spain) unan, Hart outpd Athanasios Kazakis (Germany) split, Ward outpd Lazzerini unan, Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) outpd Hart unan, Ward outpd Valentino Manfredonia (Italy) unan, Ward outpd Gadzhumagomedov unan.
91: Cheavon Clarke (England) outpd Stefan Nikolic (Austria) unan, Scott Forrest (Scotland) outpd Zoran Radic (Serbia) unan, Ramazan Muslimov (Ukraine) outpd Darren O’neil (Ireland) split, Clarke outpd Simone Fiori (Italy) unan, Abdulkadir Abdullayev (Azerbaijan) outpd Scott Forrest (Scotalnd) split, Clarke stpd Abdullayev 1st, Clarke outpd Roy Korving (Netherlands) unan, Evgeniy Tishchenko (Russia) outpd Clarke unan.
91&: Peter Kadiru (Germany) outpd Mitchell Barton (Scotland) unan, Frazer Clarke (England) outpd Aleksander Stawirej (Poland) unan, Viktor Vikhrist (Ukraine) stpd Dean Gardiner (Ireland) 2nd, Clarke outpd Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) split, Clarke outpd Djamili Dine Aboudou (France) split, Vikhrist outpd Clarke unan.