Pat McCormack has struck gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The 22-year-old defeated Northern Ireland’s Aidan Walsh in the welterweight final in the Gold Coast.
McCormack was on top throughout in the Oxenford Studios, winning on all five judges scorecards.
Four of the judges marked it 29-28 with the Algerian judge scoring it 30-27 to the Birtley star.
Whatever the merits of whether it was two rounds to one or a clean sweep, the officials at ringside got it right as McCormack took the fight to the slippery Walsh.
It completed a stunning competition for the McCormacks with Luke coming away from the light-welterweight section with a bronze medal.
And Pat’s thoughts were with his twin.
“I wish it was two golds,” Pat told the BBC. “Luke always seems to get the hardest draw.
“He got the number one boxer, Sean McComb, and beat him but went out to the champion. But he’s done well.”
To say Pat has ‘done well’ would be an understatement.
He was up against a difficult opponent, but he out-boxed and out-fought the Northern Irishman.
The first round was a cagey affair. Walsh boxed on the back foot, McCormack landing the first three punches with accurate jabs.
Walsh did land a left but McCormack got through with two combinations.
McCormack was the aggressor in the middle session and while Walsh held a good guard, Pat got through with countless combos to the head.
Pat was on the front foot again in the final round.
While Walsh landed an eye-catching left hook and a couple of sweet long-range rights, isolated single shots were not going to de-rail McCormack’s path to gold.
Words: Roy Kelly
