Olympic champion Nicola Adams was hoping her big-fight experience could give her an advantage in yesterday’s women’s flyweight final at the Commonwealth Games.
The English boxer booked her place in the final following her win against Canada’s Mandy Bujold in Friday’s semi-finals.
The 31-year-old said she would use the experience she gained on the way to being crowned Olympic champion in 2012 to help her win the first-ever women’s Commonwealth Games title.
Photo: AFP
“I am looking forward to the final and it’s going to be exciting. There’s going to be a crowd of just over 11,000, which will be amazing,” Adams said. “I’ve got the experience and know what it’s like to fight in front of a big crowd like that, and I’m going to be taking all that experience into the ring with me tomorrow.”
Standing between Adams and a gold medal is Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh, after she saw off Pinki Rani of India in their semi-final.
England’s Joseph Joyce made it through to the final of the super heavyweight division without having to step into the ring, after his semi-final opponent Mike Sekabembe of Uganda failed a medical on Friday morning.
He was to be joined by Australian Joseph Goodall, who won his fight with Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba.
Qais Ashfaq, Scott Fitzgerald and Antony Fowler were also to be going for gold for England.
Ashfaq inflicted a unanimous defeat of Benson Njangiru of Kenya in their bantamweight semi-final.
Michael Conlan will be his opponent in the final after the Northern Irish boxer won a controversial bout with defending champion Sean McGoldrick of Wales.
The fight was stopped in the second round, following an accidental clash of heads which resulted in a cut to Conlan’s head, with the judges awarding the fight to the Northern Irishman.
The Wales management submitted an official protest against the decision after they claimed it was a deliberate headbutt by Conlan.
However, their appeal was subsequently rejected by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Fitzgerald made light work of South African opponent Tulani Mbenge to book a place in the welterweight gold-medal match, where he is to face India’s Mandeep Jangra.
It took just 48 seconds for Benny Muziyo to defeat Cedric Olivier of Mauritius in their quarter-final, but Englishman Fowler proved to be a much tougher opponent, as he twice knocked the Zambian to the canvas on his way to the middleweight final.
Host nation Scotland were given something to cheer about when Josh Taylor progressed to the light-welterweight gold-medal match, while Charlie Flynn made the lightweight final.
Waiting for Taylor, who defeated England’s Samuel Maxwell, was to be Junias Jonas, who easily saw off Northern Ireland’s Sean Duffy while Flynn, victor over Joseph Cordina, was to fight Northern Ireland’s Joe Fitzpatrick.
Reece McFadden was unable to add to Scotland’s success in the flyweight division as the 19-year-old lost a split decision to Australia’s Andrew Moloney. Pakistan’s Muhammad defeated Ghana’s Abdul Omar in the other semi-final.
Indian Devendro Laishram defeated Ashley Williams to set up a light flyweight gold-medal match with reigning champ Paddy Barnes of Northern Ireland.
New Zealand’s David Nyika and Kennedy St Pierre of Mauritius were to fight for gold in the light-heavyweight division after they overcame Sean McGlinchy and Nathan Thorley respectively.
Shelley Watts of Australia was to fight Indian Laishram Devi in the women’s lightweight final.
Women’s world champion Savannah Marshall from England defeated Nigeria’s Edith Ogoke to set up a hotly anticipated encounter with Ariane Fortin, twice a world champion at light middleweight, in the middleweight gold-medal match.
New Zealand would have been hoping for its first heavyweight boxing champion since 1986 after David Light progressed to yesterday’s final.
The Kiwi boxer defeated Scottish home favorite Stephen Lavelle to set up a gold-medal match with Canada’s Samir El-Mais, winner of his bout against Nigeria’s Efetobor Apochi.
Light was to attempt to become the first New Zealand boxer to win gold since Jimmy Peau took the title in Edinburgh.
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