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07/09/2007
Results from the Golden Belt tournament in Romania
Romania Golden Belt tournament takes place from 3rd-9th September
Tuesdays Results
Wednesdays Results
Thursdays Results
48kg Mo Nasir (WAL) lost to Pal Bedak (HUN) 5:13
Mo was always going to have his hands full with the experienced Hungarian Olympian. He did himself proud with some excellent spells and a huge effort but ultimately fell just short.
Mo started brightly and moved around his opponent well as he sought to pick off the Hungarian who he knew would be keen to come forward. By and large this tactic worked well although he failed to penetrate the Hungarians guard and got caught with a couple of scoring shots (0:2).
The second round was a different story with Mo clearly winning the round. Not only did he move well but also produced some good work in close (3:4). Sensing an upset Mo upped the tempo significantly at the start of the third and clearly rattled Bedak. Unfortunately Bedak delivered a crunching body shot that took the wind out of Mo's sails and allowed the Hungarian to regain the initiative (4:8).
Bedak coped well with Mo's attempts to redress the balance and emerged a worthy but not comfortable winner (5:13). Taking the positives Mo boxed well in both contests, earning a bronze on the way, and will have gained confidence that he can compete at the highest level.
48kg Oubaale Nordine (FRA) bt Darran Langley (24:19)
Another exciting and high quality contest, this time between Darran and the up-and-coming star of the French team.
Darran's first round was unfortunately his worst, a real handicap given that the vast majority of international contests are won by the boxer who wins the first round. It was an energetic start from both boxers with the Frenchman just that bit quicker to the punch (8:2). Darran was much more effective in the 2nd and matched the Frenchman, although frustratingly Nordine managed to counter most of Darran's scoring attacks (12:6).
Darran was more aggressive and clinical in the third landing a good variety of shots as fitness became a factor. Nordine still managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over and the deficit was only reduced by one (18:13).
As you would expect the extremely fit Langley piled on the pressure in the final round giving 100%. The classy Nordine was good enough to soak up the pressure and walked out the victor (24:19).
54kg Hallab Ali (FRA) bt Joe Murray 23:3
The score-line didn't do justice to Joe. The French Olympian won the contest well, but quite why Joe's aggressive work in rounds 2, 3 and 4 only scored one point remains something of a mystery. The only possible explanation being the formidable guard that Ali maintained throughout the four rounds.
Ali caught Joe on the ropes a couple of times in R1 as he built a 7:2 lead. Joe came out aggressively in the 2nd and soon got warned by the referee for making noises as he threw a high volume of punches. Joe's vocal style did not go down well with the official, he was continually on Joe's case for the remainder of the contest. Joe continued to pursue the Frenchman but was unable to break down the tight guard and was caught with some accurate counters (R2 12:2, R3 19:3). Ali started to tread water in the fourth as Joe tried and connected with some good body shots. The Frenchman was out of sight by now and closed the fight out 23:3.
Joe can be content with his work in this tournament as he boxed three times and earned a bronze medal. No shame in coming up just short against the French Olympian. The French team has dominated the contest in the lighter weights with 3 Olympians and boxers qualifying in each of the lower 5 weight categories.
64kg Gheorghe Ionut (ROM) bt Bradley Saunders 12:5
They don't come much tougher than this. A semi-final against a Romanian Olympic medallist in Romania. However, this is just the sort of preparation the team needs in the run-up to the World Championships in Chicago next month.
Bradley was well up for this fight even though, on paper, he was the underdog. He certainly walked out of the ring looking like he had enjoyed the fight a good deal more than his opponent.
Bradley steamed in right from the outset and kept the aggression and work rate high throughout. Highlights included a right that dropped Gheorghe to one knee and a crisp left hook in the third. Unfortunately Bradley's gum shield fell-out immediately after giving the Romanian a much needed breather. Despite this action and pressure the scores at the end of the first three rounds were 3:0, 7:1 and 10:2 to the crowd favourite. The corner considered throwing in the towel at the end of the third, but experience was the reason for the trip and Bradley was clearly benefitting greatly from the workout.
A disappointing score-line but an excellent performance by Bradley who is having a consistent and successful season.
69kg Neil Perkins lost to Koptiakov Maxim (RUS) (3:15)
The team was in need of a lift after four semi-final defeats in a row. Neil was first up after the mid-session interval. Unfortunately it didn't happen for the team captain who seemed a little flat in comparison to his fiery best.
Neil started reasonably and caught the Russian with a probing body shot. However, the Russian soon took control and forced Neil to take a count in the first (1:5).
Neil couldn't turn things round against the rangy Russian who widened the gap consistently over the final three rounds (2:7, 2:12 and 3:15). Not his best performance by a long shot but Neil can take some solace from the fact that he picked up another medal at a tough international tournament.
75kg James Degale v Nerdassi Rached (TUN)
Following his opening two bouts expectations were high for this one. The pressure was even greater given the preceding 5 semi-final defeats.
4:2 A solid opening round for James who felt his way into the bout.
R2, Fluency returned as James moved well and caught the Tunisian with some sharp long range shots from both sides (7:5).
James raised the stakes in round three and forced a standing count with a well-timed straight right hand. Despite being caught with a few cheap shots James was never in trouble and recovered superbly to force another standing count and reassert himself on his opponent. Bizarrely the gap had been narrowed by the Tunisian (11:10).
Round four was extremely scrappy with the Tunisian leading with the head and stifling James' efforts to rack up a buffer. Fortunately his tactics didn't succeed and James prevailed for a deserved 13:12 victory and the team's first and only finalist.
Gavril Ronald (ROM) awaits in the final following his controversial victory over the French middleweight. James continues his good year.
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