Euro Juniors 2022: Day five round-up

Team England will take 11 boxers through to the semi-finals of the EUBC Junior European Championships after they enjoyed a superb day five of competition in Montesilvano, Italy.

Following on from five wins out of five for the girls yesterday, the Three Lions boys took six wins from seven, meaning the majority of the squad will leave with at least a bronze medal.

John Tom Varey was the first Three Lions boxer in action and he prevailed over Faig Mollayev of Azerbaijan by a 4-1 margin.

Remaining cool under fire from a rangy opponent, the Box Smart Elite boxer was first to the punch to secure the England boys’ team their first medal of the championships in the process.

Next up into the ring was Josh Jarvis, who face Georgian Svaid Tchotchua at Under 50kg.

Whilst the West Ham boxer started the rounds the more industrious, it would be his southpaw opponent who just edged the sessions in the closing seconds to take a unanimous points win.

Having had to dig deep in the previous round, Adam Maca had a much more comfortable this time as he was able to win with ease against Davide Perrone of Italy at Under 54kg.

The Rumbles boxer posted a dominant middle round, forcing a standing eight count after a barrage of unanswered shots. It gave him a virtually unassailable lead going into the last and he went on to record a unanimous success.

The first bout of the evening session in Ring A saw, Mohammad Safari explode out of the blocks and, using slick footwork, never relent against Arman Arzumanyan of Armenia at Under 48kg.

In an all-southpaw contest, the youngest member of the Three Lions team demonstrated maturity beyond his years with a superb performance to secure a guaranteed bronze via a unanimous verdict.

In another all-southpaw bout, Leighton Birchall delivered razor sharp shots throughout against a game Scottish opponent in their Under 52kg encounter.

A right hook in the dying seconds of the bout brought about a standing eight count that sealed a unanimous points win for the Jennings Gym boxer, that was scored 30-26, 30-25, 30-27, 30-26, 29-28.

It was a fifth win from six for Team England when Luke Rodda secured a unanimous points win at Under 57kg over Armenia’s Andranik Martirosyan.

The West Ham representative won all three rounds on all the judges’ scorecards to earn his third win of the tournament behind an educated left-hand jab.

After six long days of waiting, Under 63kg hopeful Nathan Barrett finally got his opportunity to box – and he did not disappoint.

A sublime left jab from the taller Powerday Hooks boxer caused Italian opponent Christian Harpula enough problems for a clear 5-0 points win and a guaranteed medal.

Tomorrow will see all 11 semi-finalists compete before a rest day on Monday and the finals on Tuesday.

Tomorrow’s bouts

Afternoon session (2pm, 1pm UK time)

Ring A, Bout 4: Under 50kg – Aynur Mikayilova (Azerbaijan) v Alice Pumphrey.

Ring A, Bout 6: Under 50kg – Pinar Benek (Turkey) v Ella Lonsdale.

Ring A, Bout 10: Under 66kg – Lilly Deacon v Amalia Nita (Romania).

Ring B, Bout 2: Under 46kg – Alfie Jordan (Ireland) v John Tom Varey.

Ring B, Bout 5: Under 54kg – Adam Maca v Refik Kartal (Turkey).

Evening session (5.30pm, 4.30pm UK time)

Ring A, Bout 2: Under 48kg – Maria Georgopoulou (Greece) v Ruby White.

Ring A, Bout 4: Under 52kg – Niamh Mitchell (Scotland) v Keira Bowden.

Ring B, Bout 1: Under 48kg – Mohammad Safari v Jamie Collins (Ireland).

Ring B, Bout 3: Under 52kg – Leighton Birchall v Francesco Crucilla (Italy).

Ring B, Bout 6: Under 57kg – Luke Rodda v Viktorio Iliev (Bulgaria).

Ring B, Bout 7: Under 63kg – Nathan Barrett v Mustafa Sahin (Turkey).