Day Five (Day 4 rest day) Friday 29th February 2008 (Semi-finals)

The tournament is now at the business end of the week. Five of the team were boxing for qualification spots today. Notting Hill’s James DeGale and Birmingham’s Khalid Yafai realised their Olympic dreams with sound performances. Billy Joe Saunders and Stephen Smith must win on Saturday to qualify having lost and been tactically withdrawn respectively today. Danny Price came off second best and must now refocus on the final qualifier in Athens (6-13th April) if he is to join his six team mates in Beijing. Hopefully that six will become eight on Saturday. This team is still riding high and raising the bar with each tournament.



51kg Khalid Yafai bt Igor Samoilenco (MDA) 13:11

“Kool” Kal Yafai entered the ring as an underdog. His position was made even more difficult when the French referee warned the Birmingham battler for slapping early in the first round, thus conceding two points to his opponent. Kal ends the first round four points down. AT the start of the second the ref again gave two points to the Moldovan, again for slapping. No question young Khalid definitely did hit with inside of the glove. However, it is extremely unusual for a referee to start deducting points before the 3rd round. Kool Kal was not given that luxury by our rench friend!.

Yafai’s tactics were clearly designed to counter the strong Moldovan with lateral movement and fast shots on the retreat. This tactic had to be changed once Kal was seven points down at the end of the second. However, the Birmingham boxer is a quick study. He had given the Moldovan a count when he landed a fast right cross. At the bell for the third Kal flew acroos the ring like an Olympic sprinter and hounded the Moldovan round the ring, hurting the Moldovan with fast hard shots forcing him to concede two points for holding.

Whilst Samoilenco was powerful he had no answer to the aggression of the Brum boxer. The power was with Yafai. He forced a standing count early in the fourth and wound up winning 13:11 in what was an exceptional performance from any boxer to come from seven points down with only two rounds to go. This feat was achieved by an 18 year old. Watch out Beijing!

Unfortunately young Yafai injured his right elbow in the first round whilst he fought through the pain barrier for this contest, it is doubtful whether he will pass the medical tomorrow before the final.

R1 0:4, R2 3:10, R3 8:10, R4 13:11.



Khalid: “I hurt my right elbow in the first. Our original game plan didn’t seem to be working, but by halfway through the second I knew I could beat him. Once I’d put it on him in the third I knew I could get to China. It is a good job I’ve qualified because I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t get to the Olympic games before my brother Gamal.”

Terry Edwards: “What a kid. To handle an injury and adapt to a complete change of tactics in a contest as important as this is seriously something special. What a start for the team.”



57kg Stephen Smith lost to Khedafi Djelkhir (FRA) 1:11 (Tactically withdrawn R1)

22 year old Stephen “Swifty” Smith the tricky jack-in-the-box of the England team faced a French tank disguised as a boxer. The ferocious forward gear and firepower of the Frenchman was always going to be a problem to overcome. With the added difficulty of the tight defence of the Frenchman makes it difficult for three of the judges to see a punch land at the same time.

No question the Frenchman wins the first round, but never by the 11:1 score given. 8:4 would probably have been fair. Sharp thinking old grey fox Terry Edwards had Swifty out of the ring quicker than a greyhound out of a trap. An amazed crowd wondered what was going on. Edwards has read Wellington, “If you can’t pick the battle pick the battlefield”. Swifty resumes his Olympic quest tomorrow against tall southpaw Wilhelm Gratschow (GER). He must win tomorrow to qualify.

Swifty: “Terry thought I was better off saving my best effort for tomorrow. I do what Terry says.”

Terry Edwards: “We are here to win Olympic places. My job is to give our athletes their best chance of getting to the Olympics. Why waste energy in what was always going to be a difficult contest when in my opinion Swifty has a better chance.”



69kg Billy Joe Saunders lost to Olexandr Stretskyy (UKR) 13:15

Billy Joe Saunders has been without doubt the star of the English team in this tournament. He has delivered the goods in every bout against vastly experienced very successful opponents. BJ’s performances have so impressed the Eastern Europeans that the only tactic they have come up with to beat BJ is to hit, hold and spoil, meaning Saunders is at the mercy of the referee. Tonight the Ukrainian was able to get away with his spoiling tactics, forcing Saunders to chase his opponent instead of being able to box technically.

BJ had made a quick start in the first being two points up before Stretskyy applied his spoiling tactics, allowing the Ukrainian to win the first round by two points. Pressure applied by BJ in the second and body punches were hurting Stretskyy. Stretskyy came up with the tactic of turning his back on BJ and making out that he had been forced to the floor, bending over and touching the canvass with both gloves. Eventually the referee gave BJ two points for this. In the third BJ forced a standing count from a body shot but still was five points behind on the judges score. A deficit BJ has overturned in previous contests in this tournament. Another two points were sacrificed by the Ukrainian in the last round, but still BJ wound up losing 13:15. A howl of derision eminated from the crowd at the final bell. BJ received a well deserved ovation and his opponent was booed.

If this had been a professional contest the first round would have been scored even or shaded to the Ukrainian. The other three rounds would all have gone to Billy Joe. This was not a professional contest and the judges could argue that the Ukrainians punches were cleaner and clearer which is a fact. However, BJ’s scuffing punches and volume of punch tactic was forced on him as the Ukrainian grabbed hold of him at every opportunity, bending over and touching the canvass when BJ was hurting him. Not a fair contest, but BJ, as young as he is, is big enough as a man to get over today’s disappointment and still book his ticket to Beijing tomorrow. What an untidy and unfair way to lose a 29 bout winning streak.

BJ will qualify for Beijing should he beat fellow losing semi finalist Pavol Hlavacka (SVK) in tomorrow’s third place box off.

R1 2:4, R2 5:11, R3 9:13, R4 13:15

Billy Joe Saunders: “Ref didn’t do anything. I knew the only way I could beat him was to stop him. Every body shot I hit him with he made a funny noise. If he hadn’t been allowed to grab hold of me I would have stopped him.”

Terry Edwards: “The referee? Billy will bounce back tomorrow.”





75Kg James “Chunky” DeGale bt Istvan Szili (HUN) 17:9

After Chunky’s titanic battle with Mr Sutherland what was left in the Notting Hill man’s tank and would he pay attention for four rounds?

DeGale was back to his you try and find me and I will pick you off best. What basically turned out to be little more than a fast spar saw the Londoner completely outmanoeuvre a quality opponent that he made look rather ordinary. A five point lead at the end of the first had shown that Chunky was using different fuel to his Hungarian opponent. An amusing incident in the second round where southpaw DeGale was doing one of his trademark dance steps around the lead left of his opponent when a right hand caught DeGale in the middle of the chest and off balance. Chunky faced the indignity of getting off the canvass for what the referee correctly ruled a slip. James has a pride factor so promptly walked the Hungarian onto a sweeping right hook which correctly lead to an eight count being applied.

Eight points up at the end of the second the bout as a contest should be over, but would DeGale turn off that light switch and let the Hungarian back into the contest. No.

Even though DeGale tired in the third after a hard week of competition he still finished the round nine points up though he did ship one stiff right hand. Chunky cruised the last round to win 17:9

R1 7:2, R2 12:4, R3 16:7, R4 17:9

Chunky: “Fantastic. I have been waiting two years for this. I knew I was going to win. After twenty seconds I knew I was going to Beijing.”

Terry Edwards: “Everyone in Team GB knew Chunky was going to qualify for 2008 it was just a matter of where and when.”



91kg Danny Price lost to Aleksandr Usik (UKR) 6:15

“Priceless” Dan was always going to have to be at his best to beat difficult Ukrainian Aleksandr Usik. A first round of 2:2 saw Danny in the contest, but you knew he was going to have to find a gear-change if he was going to trouble the Ukrainian. The bout stayed close for three rounds even though Dan received a standing count having been hit by a stiff right hand. The Ukrainian was always in control.

With a three point deficit going into the last round Daniel knew he was going to have to find something and find something fast. Two points more to the Ukrainian meant Dan had to attack and be successful with a volume of punches. Price tried but it was never going to be enough, the Ukrainian picked the Yorkshireman off to clearly win the contest by a margin of nine points.

R1 2:2, R2 4:6, R3 6:9, R4 6:15.

An in pieces Danny Price: “Devastated, I know I am good enough to go to the Olympics. I really thought I was going to qualify here.”

Terry Edwards: “Heartbreaking for the kid, but the Ukrainian is a good fighter.”