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Nick Parkinson
Lewis Richardson, Team GB’s only remaining boxer at the 2024 Olympics, secured himself a medal in the junior middleweight (71kg) division with a narrow points win over Jordan’s Zeyad Eashash on Saturday.
Richardson triumphed 3-2 on points in his second bout in Paris, meaning he will face Mexico’s Marco Verde in the semifinals on Aug. 6 and is certain of at least a bronze medal.
Team GB’s other boxers — two men, three women — all lost their first bouts. Richardson’s quarterfinal win meant Team GB avoided missing out on a boxing medal at a Games for the first time since 1996.
Team GB won six medals in boxing three years ago in Tokyo.
“I didn’t massively feel the pressure, but I was aware the expectation was on me from the nation from a boxing perspective,” Richardson said after the win.
Richardson, 27, from Colchester, Essex, utilised his 13-centimetre height advantage to pick off Eashash on the counter to take the first round.
Eashash, 25, targeted the body in the second round, but Richardson was still able to catch the Jordanian enough to win round two.
Eashash landed some good punches to win the last round, but it wasn’t enough to turn the fight in his favour.
Richardson, who won a qualifying event in June to secure his spot in Paris, is a natural middleweight who dropped down to the 71kg division because the middleweight division was pulled from the schedule for Paris.
The English boxer faces a tough task to win a silver medal against Verde, who forced a count in round 1 against India’s Nishant Dev and went on to win 4-1 on points.
“I believe all the injuries and setbacks, the uncontrollable factors that have changed the goalposts, has made me a stronger person mentally and physically,” Richardson said.
“The experience I’ve gained from situations and experiences have allowed me to perform on the biggest stage in the world and do it very well.
“These are special moments in my life and my family’s lives. I’m an Olympic medallist for life and now it’s time to change that colour.”
Source: www.espn.com