The Commonwealth Games continued with its seventh session in Birmingham where twelve contests were on the agenda. The winners of the bouts advanced to the quarter-finals, moving a step closer to achieving their goal of winning a medal. The Indians produced a perfect session, as both of their stars advanced to the last eight.

There are 231 boxers, including 59 women, competing in the Commonwealth Games and these female and male participants represent 55 nations across Confederations. Sixteen champions will be crowned on the final day of the competition on 7 August.

Zambia’s favorite Patrick Chinyemba impresses

Zambia impressed in the previous African continental competitions and the country has a very young but talented team at the Commonwealth Games. Patrick Chinyemba had to wait until the fourth day of the competition to participate in the flyweight (51kg) category. Chinyemba looked very fresh against Papua New Guinea’s experienced Charles Keama. The Zambian boxer caught his Oceanian opponent in the first minute of the fight with a hard left hand, as the referee started the ten count. Chinyemba had solid right hands and wonderful combinations throughout the fight, giving the referee no choice but to stop the bout in the second round.

Amit Panghal dominated his opening match at the flyweight

India’s Amit Panghal achieved a silver medal at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships and a gold at the 2018 Asian Games. The Indian flyweight (51kg) boxer had a few unexpected losses after these events, leaving questions about his ability to perform at the highest level. In his opening round fight in Birmingham, the Indian southpaw used his speed to land shots in the first round against Vanuatu’s Namri Berri, who competed at the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games. Amit landed a right-handed uppercut and thunderous jabs at the beginning of the second round, as his technical style of fighting proved difficult for Berri to deal with. The Indian, who was runner-up in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, had wonderful accuracy to land shots with perfect timing and won his first bout in Birmingham.

“The first fight is always difficult in the big events, but this time I could enjoy it. The rounds I got in from this fight will help me in the later stages of the Games,” added Panghal.

Jake Dodd’s aggression paid off today

Wrexham-based boxer Jake Dodd won the British Three Nations Championships in 2019, his first major achievement as an amateur boxer. The Welshman only began boxing at the age of 21, but after six years of experience, he is a member of their CWG Team. Dodd caught Lesotho’s Retselisitsoe Kolobe at the end of the first round with multiple heavy shots that forced his rival to the canvas. The 27-year-old Welsh boxer provided continuous pressure at the beginning of the second round as his superb aggression overwhelmed Kolobe, leading to the referee calling an end to the contest. He simply subdued his younger opponent from Lesotho and made a great impact in the seventh session.

“That was a strong start in the tournament. I kept a high level of intensity throughout the bout to wear him down and picked my shots at the right time. I am so happy to get the stoppage and I’m looking forward to the next bout,” said Wales’ newcomer Jake Dodd after his RSC success.

Alex Mukuka is New Zealand’s first winner in Birmingham

Alex Mukuka was born in Zambia, but he lives in New Zealand and represents his new homeland on the international stage. The two-time NZ National Champion faced Botswana’s George Molwantwa who returned to the squad after a short break. The Kiwi southpaw moved back a few steps before launching dangerous counterstrikes in the first round which were effective. Molwantwa came forward in the second round and smothered Mukuka, preventing him from unloading his shots. This meant that the result of this featherweight (57kg) preliminary contest depended on the final round of action. Both boxers were fresh enough in the last round, but Mukuka was slightly sharper than the Botswanan and secured a win for New Zealand.

The 19-year-old Commey is in the quarter-finals

Ghana selected several new team members for the Commonwealth Games, all of whom have excellent technical skills. Joseph Commey is only 19 but he won the National Championships in February, which led to the selectors inviting him to join the team. He is a member of the Black Panthers Boxing Club, and the tall boxer proudly represented his nation against Papua New Guinea’s Allan Oaike at featherweight (57kg). Commey, who replaced Samuel Takyi in this weight class, had youthful enthusiasm in this bout and was in control of every exchange in the first round. The 27-year-old Oceanian received several straight punches from the young boxer from Ghana, leading to the referee calling an end to their contest.

Hussamuddin won his second contest in Birmingham

India’s Mohammed Hussamuddin won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast and is targeting an even better result in Birmingham. He regained his place in the national team this year and eliminated his first rival at the CWG when faced Bangladesh’s Army boxer Mohamed Salim Hossain. The Indian southpaw had nice right-handed responses to the Bangladeshi attacks in the first round and took the lead on the scorecards. Hussamuddin was better in all of the exchanges, and his smart boxing guaranteed his place in the quarter-finals of the Games.

Great afternoon for Ndevelo

Namibia sent only two boxers to the Commonwealth Games, but both are world-class athletes in the smaller weight categories. Tryagain Morning Ndevelo competed in the last edition of the Commonwealth Games, and he worked well in the first round against Fiji’s Jone Davule who moved down to featherweight (57kg). The Namibian boxer landed the stronger shots in the first round and he had the clear advantage after the first three minutes on the scorecards. Ndevelo increased his rhythm in the second round and the Canadian referee had to count the boxer from Fiji twice. The 23-year-old Namibian has been a member of the elite national team since 2018 and did impressive work in the second and third rounds to win the contest by RSC.

“First of all, I would like to thank to my coach, my mother, and my supporters that I am here in the Commonwealth Games. My opponent was strong and we had a good fight today. I competed in Gold Coast, Rabat and other major events and hopefully these experiences are enough to help me reach the finals here. I am still fit, and I am expecting good results in the quarter-final.  I am ready for the next one. My coaches are always keeping me positive,” added Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo following his RSC victory.

Beausejour controlled his opening bout

Canada’s Wyatt Sanford won two contests in the Commonwealth Games whilst his teammate, the 23-year-old Keven Emmanuel Beausejour, made his debut at light heavyweight (80kg) on Day 4. The Canadian, who used the Eindhoven Box Cup as preparation before the Games, has only 30 contests on his resume, but he had a good strategy and better boxing technique than Barbados’ Charles Cox Jr. in the first round. The Barbadian had a longer reach than Beausejour, but the Canadian had the speed advantage to catch him with strong shots in the second round. The third round played out in a similar fashion, as Beausejour utilized his high boxing IQ to win the contest.

“I did well today, and I tried not to complicate things. I had more speed and skills and I used them throughout the fight. This is the first time that I’ve experienced such a loud crowd and I love it! My dream came true to be here in this Games. I still have energy after this bout to prepare for my quarter-final,” added Canada’s Keven Emmanuel Beausejour, the bronze medallist from the annual AMBC American Elite Boxing Championships.

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