Talk about making a “big statement”!
Pat McCormack will go into the European Games final on the back of one of his most notable wins.
The Washington boxer stopped 2016 Olympic silver medalist and 2015 European Games winner, Lorenzo Sotomayor, in round three of their semi-final in Minsk.
McCormack will now face Russia’s Khariton Agrba in the welterweight final in the Belarus capital on Saturday afternoon when he declared he is “100 per cent” going to win gold.
Watch Pat’s win over Sotomayor from BT’s coverage here.
But there will be no twin gold for the Birtley brothers – Luke was beaten by France’s Sofiane Oumiha, who repeated his victory from the 2015 European Games in Baku.
Pat will be one of three Team GB boxers in finals action – Welsh star Lauren Price will take on Dutch legend Nouchka Fontijn at middleweight and West Bromwich’s Ben Whittaker will tackle Azerbaijan’s Loren Dominguez at light-heavy.
It is hard to imagine how much confidence is running through the veins of Pat McCormack.
Sotomayor might not be the force he once was but the Cuban-born Azerbaijan boxer is no dummy.
McCormack (pictured) boxed superbly, using a stiff jab backed up with some strong rights and won the opening two rounds.
He was on top in the third when a short left hook felled Sotomayor.
Looking far from solid, a smile and a nod persuaded the referee to let the bout continue, but when a left-right-left from Pat wobbled him the American official stepped in and called it off.
“I threw a left hook and he walked straight onto it,” said Pat. “It’s a big statement because he is probably my biggest rival at the weight and I’ve knocked him out in the third round.
“I’ve just proved I’m the main man and I won’t be beaten.
“I’m 100 per cent sure I’m bringing the gold medal home.”
For all this was a stunning success, McCormack explained that it was NOT his best finish.
“It’s the second best punch I’ve ever thrown,” he said in an interview with the Press Association. “The best is my backhand thunderbolt which knocked out a kid at the Commonwealth Games.
“If it lands [in the final] it lands, but I’m just there to win.
“The other fights haven’t really been a challenge out here but I was thinking about him [Sotomayor] because he’s a former Olympic silver medallist but when I boxed better kids I always do better.”
Price reached her final with a unanimous points win over Darima Sandakova, from Russia, with Whittaker defeated Armenia’s Gor Nersesyan.
There were split-decision last-four defeats for flyweight, Galal Yafai, to number one seed, Daniel Asenov, from Bulgaria and bantamweight number one Peter McGrail, who was beaten by Ireland’s number four seed, Kurt Walker.
Top-seed heavyweight,Cheavon Clarke, lost out to Belarus’s Uladzislau Smiahlikau.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: BT Sport
