Kiaran Macdonald is guaranteed a silver medal but the Sunderland boxer will be aiming to strike gold in the European Championship final.
The 25-year-old will meet Spain’s Martin Molina in the flyweight showdown on Monday at the climax of the tournament in Armenia following Sunday’s split decision victory over Federico Serra.
Macdonald is following in the ringsteps of the McCormack twins, Luke and Pat, who reached their finals at the 2017 Europeans in the Ukraine, where Birtley team-mate, Calum French, took bronze.
Both McCormacks brought silver medals back to Wearside and Special K will be hoping to go one better this time in Yerevan.
The gifted southpaw needed to show every ounce of his skill and nerve to reach the final after the tightest of semis against Italian boxer Serra on Sunday.
Serra’s power had troubled earlier opposition and was the aggressor in the first, with Macdonald replying with some nice straight lefts to the head.
The Italian started the second strongly, but Kiaran found his rhythm, moving nicely and landing regularly to edge it.
It was on a knife-edge going into the last round and the Sunderland ABC star delivered, picking some eye-catching lefts against his opponent, who while aggressive, had become a little untidy.
Kiaran’s composure and accuracy never slipped, helped by reminders to “stay switched on” coming from his corner of Lee Pullen and Dave Alloway.
He got the verdict by three judges to two to set up a final with Molina, who won by the same margin against Ukraine’s Dmytro Zamotaev.
“This is where the hard work in Sheffield pays off,” he told GB Boxing.
“The coaches just said ‘believe in yourself, do what you’ve been doing in the gym’ and it paid off.
“It means the absolute world to me, it’s my first major Europeans and I’m in the final, just one more day to go for the big prize – it’s what I’m here for.
“I’ve got plenty of momentum but I must build on that now.”
Macdonald, who beat Scotland’s Lennon Mulligan in his opening contest and Ireland’s Sean Mari in the quarters, will be the first of four British boxers going into the ring in the gold medal bouts in Yerevan.
GB are guaranteed at least one European champ, at light-middleweight, where there is an England v Wales final, with Harris Akbar taking on Garan Croft. Harris pulled off a brilliant win over Ukraine’s world champion Yurii Zakharieiev in the last four.
At middleweight, it will be England v Ireland, with Lewis Richardson, fresh from a terrific semi scrap with Scotland’s Sam Hickey, meeting Gabriel Dossen.
Four GB Boxers will be taking home bronze medals following defeats in Sunday’s semi-finals.
They are welterweight Ioan Croft (Garan’s twin), Hickey, heavyweight Lewis Williams and super-heavy Delicious Orie.
Billingham Boxing Academy’s Joe Tyers reached the quarter-finals where he had the misfortune to be drawn with the great Hovhannes Bachkov, who took the light-welterweight contest.
Words: Roy Kelly
