AMATEURS
Dubois and Richardson triumph for England at the World Youth championships in Hungary as their team brings home six medals, writes John Dennen
English duo strike gold at World Youths
CAROLINE DUBOIS became England’s first Youth World champion. On August 30 at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, she outboxed Russia’s Asatrian Nune to take the gold medal.
Dubois handled the pressure of the occasion. The southpaw went on to the backfoot, moving deftly, to bring the Russian forward. Dubois led neatly with her right hook. A straight one-two combination flew into Nune. Caroline looked both the faster and the sharper of the two, stepping in to land another compact lead hook. The Russian was strong. The solid Nune swung her right back at the English boxer.
In the second round Dubois fired through a one-two, forcing Nune backwards. Holding her feet, Caroline planted a left cross.
It triggered a reaction from the Russian. She came out furiously for the third and last round. Dubois resisted the attack. She countered with an excellent left cross and won a unanimous decision, 30-27 on three cards, 29-28 twice.
Dubois had won her semi-final by unanimous decision over Brazil’s Rebeca Santos. At first Caroline looked to find her range. But she struck with a left hand body shot and stunned Santos with a following right. She outboxed the Brazilian, countering her cleverly to make sure of her victory.
“It means everything, I’ve been working all year for this,” Dubois said of her gold medal. “Everyone around me knows how hard I’ve been training.”
England light-welterweight Gemma Richardson joined Dubois as a World Youth champion, the following day, August 31. She came out dynamically, storming into strong Indian Manisha. The latter missed, at first, with swinging shots. Richardson let loose clusters of punches, getting herself on the front foot.
But Manisha welcomed the toe-to-toe battle. She found the mark with a heavy left hook. Richardson could still fire straight shots through. It was a hectic, frenetic bout. Gemma punched in greater volume. But Manisha looked to her dangerous left hook.
In the second round Richardson jolted the Indian’s head back with repeated blows. Excellent uppercuts carved through, forcing Manisha to take some time out to reposition her headguard. The determined Indian came back slinging hooks.
Manisha landed quality shots in the last round, even if she was heavier on her feet than Richardson. Her right cross scored and her left hook hit home. She harried Gemma into a corner. But Richardson angled her right hook down, a heavier hit. She slammed the left in and, beaming with satisfaction, won a unanimous decision.
In her 64kgs semi-final Richardson beat a familiar foe in Russia’s Lanna Maliuganova. Gemma applied constant, calculated pressure, firing salvoes of punches to take a clear, unanimous decision.
England flyweight Hopey Price also reached the World Youth championship finals, only to be held to a silver medal after a contentious decision went to the USA’S Asa Stevens.
Price towered over the American, a fellow southpaw and stood off to put his long arms to work. A fast onetwo lanced in, although Stevens sprang back at him. Hopey was relaxed enough to lower his hands, moving his fists loosely. Stevens flung his left over the top, Price swung a right hook back. He jabbed to set up a hard left hook. Asa caught him with a neat one-two of his own. The English boxer popped a jab through between his gloves and sidled off. The American finished the first round letting go a volley of hooks.
To start the second round, Price screwed his right through and pivoted away. It wasn’t easy for Stevens to find his range but he struck Hopey’s body with a jab. They met each other head on, trading punches before falling into a clinch.
Finding space, Price smacked a hook across to intercept Stevens as he came forward. Asa reached him with a long left cross. Shrugging off those attacks, Price looked composed but Stevens scampered away from him.
Hopey finished the fight in dominant style. He tracked forward, looming over the American. He doubled the jab to hook his left across. He edged after Stevens and dashed his left into Asa’s head. Stevens, seemingly satisfied with his work, did not lead off. He waited, defended and won the decision.
Price shook his head ruefully as a unanimous vote was announced.
The talented Price had come through a close semifinal, edging out Brazil’s Luis Oliveira on a split decision. Oliveira was elusive and mobile, just like Price. But Hopey began to take the measure of him with countering combinations.
Moss Side middleweight Conner Tudsbury’s adventure in Hungary came to an end in the semi-finals. There he met Russia’s Daniil Teterev. Tudsbury stuck to the gameplan, landing solid jabs early on. The Russian however put together combinations. The English 75kgs improved over the course of their three rounds. He had his best moments in the last. He finished a powerful three punch combination with a hook that seemed to trouble the Russian. But he didn’t break through and a unanimous decision went to Teterev. But with a World Youth bronze medal Tudsbury has marked himself out as one to watch.
‘IT MEANS EVERYTHING. I’VE BEEN WORKING ALL YEAR FOR THIS’
won bronze medals as well. O’connor also met the Russian middleweight in her semi-final, in Anastasila
Shamonova. O’connor started quickly, driving her opponent back. But the Russian is a national champion and raised her game accordingly. She handed O’connor a standing count in the second round. Shamonova took a unanimous decision to advance to the final.
At welterweight Goodyear boxed from behind a tight guard against Canada’s Charlie
Cavanaugh. The Canadian attacked the body with hefty shots, while Paige fired back straight shots to the head. She was unable to deny Cavanaugh a unanimous decision.
“England won six medals from 10 boxers at the event, an astonishing achievement for these young boxers also noting they has the toughest qualifying route into the tournament through the European Championships,” England Boxing’s David Thorley said, adding, “It is great to note that England won the joint highest number of gold medals in the female part of the event.
“These fantastic results are testament to the hard work done by the clubs over many years, the expertise by England coaching staff in fine-tuning these boxers into medal contenders and finally the vital support by England Boxing and Sport England. Our team head home tomorrow and can be proud of their achievements, with four of them (Hassan Azim, Caroline Dubois, Hopey Price and Karol Itauma) going into preparation mode for the Youth Olympic Games next in October.”
Ireland’s Jude Gallagher was edged out on a split decision by Thailand’s Thitisan Panmod for a place in the 49kg final. Gallagher initially found the target with body shots in the first round against an industrious opponent. The Irish boxer began the second with a good right to the head, but Panmod constantly stayed close to work on the inside. The Thai light-fly took the bout on points and would ultimately win gold.
“Disappointed not to be competing in the World finals, but still 16. Fighting 17 and 18-year-olds will definitely stand me [in good stead] in the future,” he said.
RESULTS
Semi-finals: 49: THITISAN PANMOD (Thailand) outpd Jude Gallagher (Ireland) split. 52: HOPEY PRICE (England) outpd Luis Oliveira (Brazil) split. 60: CAROLINE DUBOIS (England) outpd Rebeca Santos (Brazil) unan. 64: GEMMA RICHARDSON (England) outpd Lanna Malyuganova (Russia) unan. 69: CHARLIE CAVANAUGH (Canada) outpd Paige Goodyear (England) unan. 75: DANIIL TETEREV (Russia) outpd Conner Tudsbury (England) unan, ANASTASIA SHAMONOVA (Russia) outpd Georgia O’connor (England) unan. Finals: CAROLINE DUBOIS (England) outpd Nune Asatrian (Russia) unan, ASA STEVENS (USA) outpd Hopey Price (England) unan), GEMMA RICHARDSON (England) outpd Manisha (India) unan.