Pescara 2008
Day One 25th February 2008 (last 32)
Team GB got phase two of their Olympic qualification campaign off to a flying start with 5 of 6 UK Sport lottery funded boxers (Stephen Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, James DeGale, David Price and Danny Price) progressing to the last 16 where they join Paul Butler (just 12 entered at his weight). Khalid Yafai was fortunate to get a bye into the last 8 and boxes first on Wednesday. All boxers must progress to the final of this tournament to guarantee Olympic qualification. In weight categories 54, 57, 69 and 75 the winners of the 3rd/4th place box-off also qualify.
223 boxers from 41 countries are competing for just 26 Olympic qualification slots. Bear in mind the break-up of the USSR has seen the proliferation of top quality former Soviet international medal-winning boxers littering the two European qualifying events.
Commenting on a successful first day GB Head Coach Terry Edwards: ‘Delighted, delighted. Delighted with the first day.’
Team Manager Ted Goreham: ‘Good boxers, a good team, and an expected good performance’.
57kg Stephen Smith (ENG/ Rotunda ABC/ Liverpool)
Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith controlled, outboxed and outmanoeuvred his competent Czech opponent Antonin Lazok over four well paced rounds of what turned out to be little more than a workout for Smith.
Smith led at the end of the first 6:3 having hurt his opponent with left hooks to the body and head. Stephen lead 11:4 at the end of the second, Swifty’s tactic of switching attack from body to head and head to body was too much for the Czech. Swifty cantered to the 19:9 winning conclusion.
Smith: “I boxed alright, got ahead early and stayed ahead throughout. I will box better, we box better the longer we’re in a tournament.”
Terry Edwards GB Head Coach: “Sharp start. Smithy was always in control.”
Stephen faces rough tough all action David Oliver Joyce tomorrow. Joyce came off the floor twice to win on points in a hard scrap with southpaw Armenian Azat Hovhannisyan
57kg Featherweight Darren Traynor (SCO/Granite City ABC/Aberdeen)
Darren showed willing but was never able to get to grips with his Polish opponent Nichal Chudecki. Chudecki cruised to a 37:16 points victory. Scores of 3:9, 8:19, 11:28 and 16:37 at the end of the contest.
69kg Billy Joe Saunders (ENG/ Hoddesdon ABC/ Hatfield/ Herts)
In the highlight of the opening session 18 year old Hoddesdon ABC southpaw welterweight Billy Joe Saunders carried on where he left on in Bulgaria by defeating highly touted 32 year old Andrei Balanov, Russia’s no.1 for the last five years (reigning European Champion and former World silver medallist).
Our Hatfield, Herts, Heroe demonstrated his talent maturity and class by sticking to his game plan of fast tempo sniping attacks. Even though BJ was 1:6 down at the end of the first and 6:11 down at the end of the second, the upset win that the GB camp expected started to become a reality in the third when young BJ narrowed the score to 12:13. It had become apparent in the second round that the talent, youth and tactics of the Englishman might just prove to be too much for the ultra strong seriously experienced Russian. Holding and leaning had become the main tactic of Balanov, but Saunders was not rattled, stuck to his game plan and forced out a thoroughly deserved and highly acclaimed 18:13 victory. World boxing has taken serious note of BJ. This precocious talent is now on everyone’s radar.
Billy Joe is undefeated as a senior and amongst his illustrious scalps he now holds decisive victorious over the Russian and Cuban number ones. All done in less than a month.
Saunders now has to get back down to earth when he boxers tall Pole Michal Starbala.
Billy Joe Saunders: “Over the moon, really over the moon. I don’t take things for granted, knew I could win when Terry shouted from the corner in the last round that I was two points up.”
Terry Edwards GB Head Coach: “On Billy’s current form he can beat anyone in the world. He listens in the corner, carries out tactics exactly as instructed. I asked for a high tempo, I got a high tempo and knew during the second round that Billy’s southpaw boxing skills and the tempo he was imposing would be too much for the Russian.”
75kg Middleweight James DeGale (ENG/ Dale Youth PC Club/ Notting Hill, London)
6ft 2inch southpaw middleweight DeGale found himself 2inches the shorter man against fellow southpaw Georgian Giorgi Nakani. Nakani was from the old school of Russian style preying mantis southpaws who pawed and whacked prodded and punched most of the world into oblivion, boosting Russia’s hall of gold throughout thirty years of Olympics. This was never going to be a pretty contest to watch and a mistake from either man could have resulted in a ten second inspection of the arena’s ceiling. Who was going to out frustrate who? Tonight DeGale held his nerve and his patience to run out a clear 18:5 winner. Not allowing himself to fall behind at any stage in the contest.
Scores of 6:3, 10:3, 14:4 and eventually 18:5 were a fair reflection of the eight minutes of thought and thump. A particularly interesting feature of the contest was that DeGale boxed orthodox for most of the contest, starting the first round in his favoured southpaw stance, going orthodox for the rest of the fight with the exception of the second round where he spent the last ¾ of the round as a southpaw.
DeGale: “He was a fiddly southpaw, I knew I had to get ahead, once I got ahead I stayed ahead.”
Terry Edwards: “Class act. Showed he can think in the ring. That guy was big, awkward, clever and could wallop.”
75kg Middleweight James Quigley (SCO)
James lost to highly touted perennial contender, Ireland’s Darren Sutherland RSCO3 24:3. You can’t buy experience you have to earn it. James Quigley was earning his experience tonight. A good first round from Quigley saw him 7:2 at the end of the round, but he’d made it competitive despite the score. Round 2 saw Sutherland change gear and the result was only ever going to be a matter of time.
91kg Heavyweight Danny Price (ENG/ Westway ABC/ Scarborough)
6ft 5inch Scarborough heavyweight ‘Priceless’ Danny Price defeated serious nuisance Mihail Munteam (MDA). Price showed how, even though he had been out of the ring for two months with a series of niggling injuries, his pre-Christmas excellent form and his promise as a junior talent have come to fruition in that now he knows how to win ugly.
The Moldovan knew how to twist and push and how to frustrate plus he had quick hands which could have seen him to victory. Price stayed patient, didn’t allow has niggly opponent to upset him, whilst he struggled to get going he persevered to wind up a clear and deserved winner 15:5. The first round scored 4:4, but it looked as if Danny had his measure, 8:4 in the second round was a fairer reflection of what was happening in the ring, but two of these points had been given to Danny by the persistent holding of his opponent. 13:4 in the third round showed the daylight ‘Priceless’ had managed to create between himself and his opponent. 15:5 at the end of the fourth was an accurate score.
Danny Price: ‘He kept dipping his head, which I was reading, but didn’t seem to be able to do anything about. If I’d been in active competition I would have taken advantage of this, but after two months of injuries I shouldn’t be too annoyed. A win is a win.
Terry Edwards: ‘Dan was a little tense. Got too close to his opponent but here we are complaining when Danny beat a good man with a clear a ten point victory! There is more to come from Dan’
91kg Heavyweight Stephen Simmons (SCO/ Leith Vic AAC/ Edinburgh)
If medals were awarded for effort, determination and bravery, Scotland’s Stephen Simmons would own Fort Knox. However, in the cruel world of sport mere fractions of timing are the difference between winning and losing. Stephen got in the ring as a serious second favourite against an experienced boxer with a KO punch and the cunning to walk opponents onto a finishing punch. Steve boxed with thought and skill and didn’t allow frustration to drag him into the maelstrom of southpaw Elchin Alizade, Azerbaijan’s wicked left cross. Simmo was being outpointed but was Frustrating and tiring his feared opponent.
The first round was level at 1:1. The second round saw Alizade take a five point least (1:6). The third round saw Stephen trying to turn up the pressure with the round ending at 3:9. 8:13 at the end of the fourth came about with Simmo chasing a fast tiring Azerbaijani around the ring, the Scot trying to find a payoff punch.
Stephen Simmons: ‘I knew I was doing the right thing. I was making him miss but I wasn’t coming back quick enough, that’s is something I have got to learn. I kept my guard tight and kept him busy. I was in the fight.’
Terry Edwards: ‘Simmo’s feet were really good tonight. A vast improvement. He concentrated hard but just didn’t throw enough shots. That will come. I am pleased with him and his improvement.’
+91kg Super Heavyweight David Price (ENG/ Salisbury ABC/ West Derby, Liverpool)
6ft 7inch Liverpudlian David Price, fighting his way back from a dream-breaking broken hand in October’s World Championships (the first of three Olympic qualifiers) saw the big man power his way to an impressive second round stoppage win. This was a hard contest, big men, big punches, huge hearts and Pricey came through on technique, power and determination. A tough first round saw David having to hold his ground against oncoming Albanian Nelson Hysa. Power shots were landed by both man, Price’s edge in technique saw him head the first round 9:4. In the second round David stopped the Albanian’s forward progress and then hammered home a booming right cross that spun his opponent around. David retreated to the neutral corner but the opponent waved the contest on. Big Pricey followed up with a repeat version of the same shot. The result was the same with the exception that a standing eight count ensued, but this time the boxer, his corner, and his country did not want the fight to continue. Price was 16:5 ahead at the time.
David Price: ‘That’s the first out of the way after the Worlds. I was rusty but my hand was good. I was punching with full power and no pain.’
Terry Edwards: ‘He’s had a long layoff, he was punching with power. The operations on his hand and elbow have stood up. This will give him confidence for the rest of the tournament. I’m pleased with the test this contest put Pricey’s body through.’
Day Two (Last 16)
11am session
69kg Billy Joe Saunders (ENG) v Michal Starbala (POL)
14:00 session
48kg Paul Butler (ENG) v Alexandr Riscan (Moldova)
+91kg David Price (ENG) v Krzyszstof Glowacki (POL)
19:00 session
57kg Stephen Smith (ENG) v David Oliver Joyce (IRL)
75kg James DeGale (ENG) v Guzman Castillo (SPA)
91kg Danny Price (ENG) v Tervel Pulev (BUL)