EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED
Orie impresses as the paths are cleared to the silver medal stage
EVERY boxing story written in the buildup to the Commonwealth Games seemed to focus on one fighter.
Delicious Orie had the name, the size and the personality – but how would the English super heavyweight cope with the pressure and, in his opening contest, Nigel Paul?
Paul was a veteran from Trinidad and Tobago who last year won World Championships bronze.
The 2020 Olympian had more experience and greater bulk, along with 90 seconds of ring time from a bout against the hopelessly outgunned Jean Otendy (Mauritius).
On his biggest night, Orie rose to the occasion superbly and used his speed to win unanimously.
The jab was quick and so were his feet. Orie countered with twos and threes when Paul fell short, blocked or halfblocked every left hook aimed at his chin and only strayed from the game plan in the dying seconds when they slugged it out, to the delight of the crowd.
Orie got the better of that as well. England heavyweight Lewis Williams
has the build of a super-heavyweight - 6ft 6ins tall and muscular – and hits like one as well, dispatching Arthur Lavalou (Papua New Guinea) in the first.
Williams gave him two counts, switching his attacks to the body impressively after buzzing Lavalou with a left-right.
In a much-anticipated lightmiddleweight clash, Aidan Walsh (Northern Ireland) used the ring to outpoint European champion Harris Akbar (England) and his sister, Michaela Walsh, also guaranteed a medal, outboxing Keamogetse Kenosi (Botswana) at featherweight. Wales secured six medals, equalling their best ever Commonwealth Games, in 1956.
Twins Garan Croft and Ioan Croft impressed. Garan stunned two-time Olympian Mervin Clair (Mauritius) and Ioan stopped Luis Mbewe in two, the Malawian having no answer to his southpaw jab-and-counter style.
Flyweight Jake Dodd forced three counts in the last to stop Clepson Paiva (Northern Ireland) and teenage bantamweight Owain Harris-allan outworked Jamie Chang (Papua New Guinea).