Emily excellent on Day Five of World Boxing Championships

England Performance’s Emily Asquith produced a superb display on Day Five of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, sealing her place in the quarterfinals alongside five other English boxers.

The Bridlington-born boxer faced U23 European Champion Iryna Lutsak of Ukraine in the Women’s Under 80kg category. Unfazed by the challenge, Asquith started brightly, using sharp footwork to get in and out of range while landing crisp attacks. By the final round, she was in control, conserving energy yet scoring enough to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Leigh ABC’s Will Hewitt delivered the upset of the competition so far, defeating Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Munarbek Seitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan in the Men’s Under 60kg division. Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, Hewitt disrupted his opponent’s rhythm with relentless pressure and big shots. With the result in the balance going into the third, Hewitt maintained his quality to secure a sensational 3-2 split decision.

Liverpool’s own Odel Kamara was once again roared on by his ‘Team Solly’ family as he took on Canada’s Kuwardeep Manu at Under 70kg. Exploding into action from the first bell, Kamara forced a standing eight-count within seconds before settling into his rhythm and boxing his way to a unanimous decision win.

Fellow Liverpudlian Callum Makin also thrived in front of home support as he faced Poland’s Michal Jarlinski at 75kg. Boxing smartly off the back foot, Makin mixed body and head work before landing clean jabs and backhands in the final round to edge a split decision victory – with Smith brothers Callum, Stephen and Paul from Rotunda all watching on.

Earlier in the session, Sacha Hickey secured England’s opening win of the evening with a hard-fought success over India’s Neeraj Phogat at Under 65kg. With the contest finely poised in the third, the Fisher ABC boxer drew on her conditioning and work rate to take the decision.

Closing the show, Damar Thomas overcame Brazil’s Joel Da Silva in a dramatic over 90kg contest. After making a strong start, the Powerday Hooks boxer was dragged into a battle and deducted a point in the second round. With everything on the line, Thomas produced a huge final round before edging the tie-break to seal a unanimous victory.

England’s only defeat came in the form of Lauren Mackie, who faced Korea’s Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Im Ae-ji at Under 54kg. The Burton Park boxer impressed early to take the first round but was ultimately edged out 3-2 in a narrow split. Despite the result, Mackie can take pride in a performance full of promise against a vastly experienced opponent.

England will return in force on Day Six, with Performance boxer Reece Readshaw among seven boxers bidding for a place in the World Championship quarterfinals.

You can now sponsor the England Performance pathway. Click here to learn more.

Image: World Boxing