England quartet secure shot at gold
September 9, 2019 | by Matt Halfpenny
Four England boxers will vie for gold medals at the EUBC European Youth Championships 2019 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Caroline Dubois, Gemma Richardson, Emily Asquith and Adam Azim have reached their respective finals – which will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) – after a busy day six of action that saw seven Three Lions boxers in action in all.
The high work rate and effective shot selection to head and body of Scunthorpe’s Richardson (pictured) ensured she traded bronze for a guaranteed silver medal with a unanimous 5-0 points win against Eveliina Taimi of Finland at 64kg.
Former European Junior champion Azim, of Pinewood, just gets better and better in these championships as he produced a solid unanimous 5-0 points win at 60kg against Ukrainian southpaw Igor Kovtun.
Bridlington’s Asquith (pictured) produced arguably her best boxing performance to date, matching her 81kg Russian foe Saltanat Medenova in every department – and some – en route to a fantastic 3-2 split points win.
Dubois, of Repton, meanwhile, oozed class in her pairing with Ukrainian Amina Abramova as her southpaw straight left was on point throughout the nine minutes of action, giving her a deserved unanimous 5-0 points decision at 60kg.
Kings Heath boxer Simran Kaur came so near and yet so far to victory in her semi-final against Ukrainian Viktoriia Fabuliak, just being squeezed out by the narrowest of split decisions by a 3-2 margin.
Adan Mohammed’s brilliant championship adventure finally ended after a pulsating battle with Russian Vsevolod Shumkov, which ultimately ending in a unanimous 5-0 points defeat. However, the Repton’s starlet’s previous three successes in Bulgaria have given him vital experience for the future.
Over 91kg boxer, Natural Progression’s William Howe, faced an imposing Russian in his semi-final in the shape of Aleksei Dronov yet remained in contention for the entire contest, eventually having to settle for bronze after a 5-0 points loss.
Tuesday – finals
Session 1 – 2pm (12noon UK time)
60kg – Caroline Dubois v Nune Asatrian (Russia), bout 5.
64kg – Gemma Richardson v Stefanie Von Berge (Germany), bout 6.
81kg – Emily Asquith v Elanur Sagit (Turkey), bout 9.
Session 2 – 6pm (4pm UK time)
60kg – Adam Azim v Usman Magamadov (Russia), bout 4.
