IT wasn’t quite a clean sweep for British boxers at the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Dubai. However, three out of the four participating in today’s preliminary contests are still in the running for part of the bumper prize payout.
England’s Mehdi Sahak got things off to a flyer, defeating Maximillian Makana of the Solomon Islands in their lightweight show opener. It was effectively a show stealer for the winner, who used his considerable arsenal to befuddle a smaller opponent throughout.
“I’ll beat everyone else on the way, coming through. Let’s go England!” roared Sahak.
Scotland’s Leo Church followed up that success as the Glaswegian used his faster hands to defeat Senegal’s Cheikh Diop by split decision in their welterweight contest.
While the temperature was a few notches warmer than in his homeland, 19-year-old Church turned up the heat over three rounds.
“I’m here for performances. Boxing well and taking training into my fights. The prize money is definitely a good opportunity,” said Church.
Following up on Church’s lead was fellow Scotsman Alan Perrie, who earned middleweight success, beating Angola’s feisty southpaw Avelino Luzito.
Neither man was willing to take a backward step, resulting in a fun frenzy that started with Perrie receiving an early count following a Luzito left.
Confident Perrie shook it off to win a split decision, later stating, “I knew it was a close fight, but I felt throughout the three rounds I was doing a bit of work. I knew I would have got my hand raised in the end.”
Finally, there was no such luck for England’s Vinny Mandair, who went down to Djibril Traore of Mali in their middleweight encounter. It was a real clash of styles as Traore motored forward, refusing to be denied.
In the end, his hard work paid off, winning 4-3 as Mandair tried his best to keep pace.
