With the Guyanese boxing team on a quest to break their 32-year jinx of no medals at the Commonwealth Games, Desmond Amsterdam ensured that they remained on the path of replicating, or bettering Wesley Christmas’s 1990 performance.
Amsterdam, a Sergeant in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), earned a split-decision victory over New Zealand’s Richardson Emile yesterday to advance to the quarter-finals of the men’s welterweight division at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Bronze Medallist, prior to the Commonwealth Games, was adamant that he was capable of reaching the medal round.
He also added that he would make the most of his first Commonwealth Games, all while bringing glory to Guyana with his gloves.
Amsterdam has so far lived up to those words, as he was oozing with confidence as he entered the ring at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham.
Amsterdam took the first round, scoring 10’s on three of the five judges’ scorecards.
The second was close but once again, Amsterdam was given the nod by three judges; the same results for the third and final round.
Desmond Amsterdam, flanked by Coaches Terrence Poole (left) and Sebert Blake, following his victory at the Commonwealth Games
In fact, only Malaysia’s Mazlan Amzah and Lee Innes of England scored the bout in favour of the New Zealand boxer. Innes actually scored Emile as winning all three rounds.
Following his bout, Amsterdam said his victory was testimony to the hard work done with Coach Terrence Poole and sticking to the fight plan.
Light welterweight Colin Lewis had his bout against Colin Richamo from Mauritius, stopped two minutes, 34 seconds in the second round.
Lewis’s fight was the first for the evening session at the NEC, and after learning of his compatriot’s defeat, Amsterdam said he felt the pressure of ensuring a victory.
“I know that I was next and I know we had to get a win; can’t get two losses one time, so I went out there and did my best. I know it wasn’t my best, but I can assure you that in my next fight, I will be 100 per cent,” Amsterdam said.
Asked about being one win away from securing a medal, Amsterdam said “that’s all I’ve been thinking since I arrived. But right now, I’m thinking about it even more”.
Amsterdam became the first boxer, since Eon Bancroft, to make it past the round of 16.
At the 2014 Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Bancroft reached the quarter-finals of the men’s welterweight contest, where he was eventually beaten by South Africa’s Tulani Mbengewas.
Mbengewas went on to be defeated by eventual gold medallist Scott Fitzgerald of England.
Allicock in round-of-16 action today
Keevin Allicock will take on Sri Lanka’s Jeewantha Nisshanka in the Men’s featherweight round of 16 at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It will be the last bout of a busy day in the ring at the NEC.
Allicock advanced via a unanimous decision win over Kenya’s Okoth Okongo in the round of 64, while Nisshanka will make his debut at the Games after receiving a first-round bye.
A victory today will put Allicock into the quarter-finals, where he will come up against the winner of the match between Charlie Senior (Australia) and Keoma-Ali Al-Ahmadieh of Canada.
The 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games silver medallist is making his debut at the Games, which were originally called the British Empire Games. (By Rawle Toney in Birmingham, England)
