THREE NATIONS CHAMPS
England dominate at the Three Nations Elite championships, writes Gareth Jones from ringside
CARDIFF MAY 28-29
ENGLAND dominated a Three Nations Elite championships somewhat diluted by the clash with the European men’s event, with all three nations missing their GB squad members. English boxers picked up all but three of the gold medals at stake, the Scots grabbing the others while there was nothing to celebrate for home fans at the Sport Wales National Centre.
Two southpaws with similar styles but different methods stood out among the victors. Repton lightweight Giorgio Visioli flicks the right out like a cobra’s tongue and promptly vanishes before his rival can react. Wales’s Zac Hickman, who ousted Scot Fawaz Aborode on a split in the semi-final, gave it a good go, but could never pin down the Londoner, who had seen off Swansea’s Korben Crocker to reach the last stage.
Birtley middleweight Dan Toward is similarly elusive, but relies more on quick reflexes to sway out of range after landing his own shots. Scot Adrian Devine never solved the conundrum as Toward reinforced the fine impression he had made on winning the GB Youths in the same hall in 2019.
Another one to watch is heavyweight
Patrick Brown, who produced the event’s only stoppage in a straight decider with Welshman Cassius Walker-hunt. Cassius went to war, but the Moss Side boxer carried the greater power; the point was proved in the second when two successive rights prompted a standing count. When Brown followed up in a neutral corner, the referee waved it off.
The most exciting action came at cruiser, where two big punchers, Scot Ronald Devlin and England’s Ben Andrews, went out aiming to hurt. It was three rounds of non-stop effort, with no little skill as well, before Andrews, who had removed experienced Welshman
Aaron Bird the day before, sneaked a slightly fortuitous split decision.
Scottish light-welter Luke Bibby targeted the body to good effect in a lively final with Louie O’doherty. The Perth Railway product, who had beaten Welsh youngster Scott Jones in the semi, took a unanimous verdict over O’doherty, who had also eliminated a local in Dafydd Jones. Bibby had the added pleasure of having his medal presented by coach Ricky Burns.
The second Scottish triumph came at light-middle, when southpaw Harry Mcgrenra edged a split over
Ted Jackson, after they respectively overcame Welsh pair Orlando Holleysotomi and Morgan Mcintosh.
Scotland struck again at super-heavy.
Connal Mcdonald, an earlier winner over Welsh teenager Connor Williams, outworked lefty Harvey Dykes to find favour with a majority of the judges.
Light-heavy Robert Mcnulty faced
Isaac Okoh. The gangling, awkward southpaw from Chadwell St Mary took the opener, but Renfrewshire’s Mcnulty worked him out and looked justifiably disappointed to see a split verdict go against him.
The women’s competition, all straight finals, saw an English whitewash. Lightfly Kelsey Oakley set the pattern, unanimously outscoring Wales’s Leah Regan, before bantam Holly Heffron
repeated the feat against Scot Stephanie Kernachan.
Lanky feather Elise Glynn outboxed game Welsh opponent Zoe Andrews,
though lightweight Carys Mainwaring,
boxing in her home city, appeared a little unlucky to lose to former kick-boxer
Lucy Kings-wheatley – that the judges were unanimous was surprising in a close contest.
At light-welter Sarah Dunne kept
Lana Cooper at bay in what might have been characterised as a veterans’ bout. Sarah is 33, Lana two years older.
The clean sweep was completed by light-welter Dionne Burman and PE teacher Demi Carter at middle, with all five judges agreeing on their supremacy over Scottish duo Shannon Lawson and
Caitlin Kelly.
It was a disastrous weekend for the hosts, revealing that beneath the Croft twins and their colleagues in the GB squad, the talent pool is alarmingly shallow. Perhaps their best performance came from Pontypridd bantam Scott Richards,
who followed a repeat of his national championship success over Kristian Hynes by running England’s Shaun Huddart close in a quality encounter which was decided on a 4-1 vote.
English welter Huey Malone, who beat North Walian Liam Taylor in the semis, suffered nicks alongside both eyes from bumping heads, but was sufficiently in control against Scot Sean Spence to earn the nod from all five arbiters.
The lowest point of the afternoon came in the featherweight final. It quickly deteriorated into a wrestling match which saw two warnings handed out to England’s Jack Turner – rather strangely, as he seemed a comparatively innocent party – before another point was deducted from Scot Peter Paton. Almost immediately the two were again locked in an ugly embrace and the Scottish referee had left himself little option but to disqualify them both.