Pat McCormack will be going for Commonwealth Games gold on Saturday after a stunning semi-final victory.
The 22-year-old beat Manoj Kumar on a unanimous points decision in a thrilling welterweight last-four contest in the Gold Coast.
It was a brilliant fight for the Washington boxer who had to put the disappointment of seeing twin, Luke, eliminated in the light-welterweight semi-final earlier in the day at the Oxenford Studios behind him, and put aside an extremely-game opponent.
The Birtley star will face Aidan Walsh in Saturday’s final after the Northern Ireland boxer saw off Fiji’s Winston Hill in the semis.
Pat was sensational as he repeated his win over the Indian from 2016 when he qualified for the Rio Olympics.
The European Championship silver medalist made a lightning-quick start, hammering lefts into the body of his experienced opponent, following that up with some razor-sharp rights to the head.
Kumar, having lost the opener, got his jab out in the middle round and ploughed forward but as the session progressed, McCormack put his shots together.
Pat then used the ring superbly in the last. Kumar, realising he probably needed to halt McCormack did not stop coming forward, but the man in the blue corner moved and landed some cracking shots.
All five judges, predictably, sided with McCormack, with the officials from Algeria, Trinidad, Uzbekistan and Ireland.
Words: Roy Kelly
