Chantelle Reid and Damar Thomas from Great Britain have advanced to the gold medal matches at the European Boxing Championships following their semi-final wins on Wednesday. Reid secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Serbia’s Milena Matovic in the light-middleweight semi-final, while Thomas decisively defeated Azerbaijan’s Mahammad Abdullayev 5-0 in the men’s super-heavyweight division.
In addition, teammates Callum Makin and Dimeji Shittu have guaranteed themselves medals after winning their quarter-final bouts in the men’s middleweight and light-heavyweight categories, respectively. Reid, who previously earned a silver at the Commonwealth Games, overcame a first-round deficit to win the second round unanimously and did enough in the final round to claim victory at Sofia’s Asics Arena Sports Hall in Bulgaria.
Speaking after her win, Reid praised Matovic’s skill and expressed hope for a future rematch, adding, “Each match has been better than the last, and I’ll be boxing the best in the weight class in two days.” On Friday, the 28-year-old Reid will face Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli, who edged out Russia’s Nadezhda Golubeva 3-2.
Thomas, 21 and a Commonwealth gold medalist, is set to compete against Russia’s David Surov in the men’s super-heavyweight final after Surov’s 5-0 quarter-final win over Austria’s Ahmed Hagag. Meanwhile, Shittu, who earned a silver medal at the recent Commonwealth Games amid some controversy, secured his European Championship medal with a commanding 5-0 victory over Austria’s Lucky Aimufua. The 24-year-old will challenge Russia’s Cheerav Ashalaev on Thursday for a spot in the final.
Reflecting on his performance, Shittu said, “My first fight wasn’t my best, but I went back to work and showed what I’m truly capable of. My opponent was tough, but my skills earned me a place in the semi-finals and this medal. Last time I was more about brawling; now I want to showcase my boxing ability. At the end of the day, it’s about landing hits without getting hit—so I went out there, put on a show, secured the medal, and now I’m aiming for gold.”
Makin, who won bronze at last year’s World Championships, pulled off a 3-2 win against Armenia’s Marat Mikaelyan and will face Azerbaijan’s Saidjamshid Jafarov in Thursday’s semi-final.
Not all British boxers advanced, as Lauren Mackie and Amy Broadhurst were both knocked out in quarter-final matches. Mackie, a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, lost 5-0 to the Czech Republic’s Lenka Bernadova in the women’s bantamweight division, while Broadhurst was defeated 4-1 by France’s Sthelyne Grosy in the women’s lightweight category.
Abdul Burton is also in action on Thursday, competing against Turkey’s Semih Gumus in the men’s super-bantamweight semi-finals. Burton and Shittu are part of the 11:30 BST session, with Makin’s bout scheduled to start from 16:00.
Fan Take: This strong showing from British fighters at the European Championships highlights the rising talent shaping the future of boxing, promising more thrilling matchups ahead. Their success on this stage not only boosts national pride but also showcases the sport’s evolving competitiveness and skill level, exciting fans worldwide.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
