Skip to content
Main Content
17/03/2010
England boxers strike gold at Commonwealth Boxing Championships
England's Iain Weaver, Scott Cardle and Simon Vallily are celebrating winning gold medals at the Commonwealth Boxing Championships in Delhi - exactly 200 days from the start of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Weaver struck gold in the bantamweight (56kg) division and also collected the outstanding boxer of the tournament award. Cardle won gold at light welterweight (64kg) and Vallily took the heavyweight (91kg) title at the championships, which was the boxing test event for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
They were among seven England medallists at the championships, with Frank Buglioni taking silver at middleweight (75kg) and lightweight (60kg) Daniel Phillips, welterweight (69kg) Callum Smith and super heavyweight (91kg+) Frazer Clarke all winning bronzes.
Weaver, who is 20 and from Ferndown in Dorset, beat Sri Lanka's MDK Wanniarachchi 7-1 on points in today's bantamweight final to take gold. He had also beaten Beijing 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist Bruno Julie on points in yesterday's semi-final.
It's the second time that Weaver, who shares a birthday with Muhammad Ali, has impressed at tournaments in India following his gold medal winning performance at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in 2008.
Cardle, from Lytham, took light welterweight gold with a walkover in the final over Wales' Chris Jenkins.
Vallily, from Middlesbrough, made it hat-trick of golds for England boxers when he knocked Kenyaâ?Ts Elly Ajowi out in the heavyweight final.
Buglioni, from London and competing at only his fourth international, contested the middleweight final today (Wednesday) but lost on points to India's Vijender Singh, who was a Beijing 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist.
The championships took place at Delhi's Talkatora Indoor Stadium, which will host the boxing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which takes place in October.
Boxing is one of the few sports to have featured at every Commonwealth Games. England's boxers came home from the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games with an impressive haul of five gold medals, one silver and two bronzes, winning medals in eight of the 11 weight divisions to top the boxing medals table.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games take place in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. They will feature 17 sports - archery, aquatics (swimming, synchronised swimming & diving), athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby 7s, shooting, squash, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. With the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Commonwealth Games England is entering a breath-taking four years of sport.