Team GB boxer Lewis Richardson admitted he was “over the moon” after guaranteeing himself an Olympic boxing medal following a split decision win over Zeyad Eashash.
In the men’s 71kg quarter-final, Eashash got the first couple of punches with some quick punches, but Richardson countered and landed some powerful punches to his opponent’s face.
Richardson was able to dodge most of his opponent’s punches as well and broke through Eashash’s guard with some clean shots to the face as the Jordanian fighter began to tire in the final round.
Lewis Richardson is the only boxer to represent a victorious Team GB at the Paris Olympics
Victory means the Team GB boxer is guaranteed at least a bronze medal and will now face Mexico’s Marco Alonso Verde Alvarez in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
“I’m just over the moon to be honest,” Richardson said. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I’ve been dealing with a lot of pressure. I don’t massively feel the pressure, but I see the expectations on me from the nation from a boxing perspective.
“I believe that all the injuries and setbacks, uncontrollable factors that changed the goal, have made me a stronger person mentally and physically. The experience that I got from the situation and the experience allowed me to perform on the biggest stage in the world. and do it well done.
“This is a special moment in my life and that of my family. I’m an Olympic medalist for life and now it’s time to change those colors.”
Boxing GB almost lost every match at Paris 2024 before Richardson raced to a medal, having seen Charley Davison, Rosie Eccles, Pat Brown, Delicious Orie and Chantelle Reid all eliminated early.
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Sky Sports’ Toe2Toe podcast discusses the losses handed to Team GB boxers Delicious Orie and Rosie Eccles at the Paris 2024 Olympics
‘Underdog’ Harrington reaches women’s 60kg final for Ireland
Ireland’s Kellie Harrington admitted she felt like an “underdog” after reaching her second consecutive Olympic boxing final with a split victory over Beatriz Ferreira in the women’s 60kg semi-final.
In the rematch at the Tokyo 2020 final – in which Harrington won – the Irish boxer started well with some good punches to the face of his opponent and began to land some more powerful punches, before Ferreira finished with some good hits.
Will Kellie Harrington win Olympic gold again in the 60kg division?
The Brazilian bristled with energy in the second round and hit a brilliant right hook to Harrington’s head before following up with some neat jabs, but the Irish boxer threw some hard body shots in response.
It all boiled down to the final round, where Ferreira threw some fierce punches, only for Harrington to fire a brilliant attack to the face with a left hand and emerge victorious. Harrington will now face Wenlu Yang in Tuesday’s final.
“It feels really good because Bea is a great opponent and since Tokyo she’s done great things in the professional ranks and I think I’m the underdog there,” Harrington said.
“I knew he had a point to prove, all he said was, ‘you’ll meet Beatriz’ and I was like, ‘it might not happen’. out.
“I’m happier than Tokyo, for sure. I just feel happy, I feel happy because I’ve reached the end of the road and I feel like I know there’s life at the end of the tunnel.”
Harrington had a tough semifinal matchup against his Brazilian opponent
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Follow the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sky Sports and Sky Sports News digital platforms every day between now and Sunday 11 August.
Alongside live news blogs and updates on when records are broken and medals won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have a dedicated journalist on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reactions to big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be integrated into Sky TV, the NOW streaming service and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports subscribers access to more than 50 per cent of live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream the new EFL Season, Test cricket and other top sports with NOW.
