8th August 2012
Men’s Boxing
Quarter-finals
This was the last of my London2012 sessions. My attempt to squish a whole Olympic Games (plus a bit of sightseeing) into two-and-a-bit days had finally begun to take its toll, and I was feeling not only very tired and a touch sport-saturated, but was also sporting a whopping blister on my right foot.
However, I was quite pleased
that my final session would be boxing at the Excel Arena, as this place had
certainly appeared to be bouncing each time I had viewed earlier sessions on
TV, so hoped my lethargy may be swept away on a tide of collective enthusiasm. And I was not disappointed.
This particular session comprised
the quarter-final stages of three of the weight classes – twelve bouts in total,
although I would only hang around for eight.
First up were the Light
Flyweights: little chaps whom I felt I could probably just about managed to
take at a push. That the Excel Arena
appeared to be housing as many Irish as Brits told me there must
be a boxer from across the Irish Sea fighting this evening.
And so it proved; one Paddy (inevitably) Barnes delighting his supporters by giving his Indian opponent a fair old thumping. All of the other quarter-final ties at this weight were equally one-sided, and even a novice like me found myself able to pick out the winner long before the final bell had tolled.
And so it proved; one Paddy (inevitably) Barnes delighting his supporters by giving his Indian opponent a fair old thumping. All of the other quarter-final ties at this weight were equally one-sided, and even a novice like me found myself able to pick out the winner long before the final bell had tolled.
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| London 2012 Boxing at The Excel Arena |
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| Paddy Barnes v Devondro Laishram - London 2012 |
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| Paddy Barnes v Devondro Laishram - London 2012 |
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| Paddy Barnes v Devondro Laishram - London 2012 |
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| London 2012 Boxing at The Excel Arena |
When the first pair of
Light Welterweights pranced into the arena, one could immediately see the difference
in size – these lads clearly looked as if they could seriously damage pretty
much anyone who irked them. The first
bout took place between a Cuban, Stolongo Iglesias and an Uzbek, Uktamjon
Rahmonov, with the clash of cultures and styles played out not only in the ring
but also ringside.
For as soon as the bout
commenced, there arose from the Accredited Zone an incessant shrill scattergun
stream of encouragement of a pitch which appeared effortlessly to penetrate the
general hubbub.
Soon a number of amused heads were turning in its general direction, and I eventually identified the source: a tiny mite of a woman of strangely indeterminate age. She could easily have been the fighter’s daughter, wife or mother. Her sole competition appeared to come from somewhere behind me, as her chatter was occasionally answered by a deep booming fog-horn of a voice, almost mournfully calling out “Ooze-Becky-Staaan!!
Soon a number of amused heads were turning in its general direction, and I eventually identified the source: a tiny mite of a woman of strangely indeterminate age. She could easily have been the fighter’s daughter, wife or mother. Her sole competition appeared to come from somewhere behind me, as her chatter was occasionally answered by a deep booming fog-horn of a voice, almost mournfully calling out “Ooze-Becky-Staaan!!
The Uzbek shaded the first
round before, in round 2, the Cuban (either intimidated or inspired by his compatriot’s
urgings) simply came out and gave his opponent a severe panelling (as we say up here). I later noted this fighter went on to
claim the gold medal – a fact which surprised me not a jot.
Briton Tom Stalker fought
in the third quarter-final against a Mongolian whose name I am not even going
to attempt to spell. I didn’t think
Mongolia had much of a history as a boxing nation, but I was surprised at how
many friends he appeared to have brought along with him.
And very vocal ones they were too, maintaining an odd unintelligible chant throughout proceedings. The Excel crowd attempted on a couple of occasions to quell these interlopers with a rousing “Team GB, Team GB”, but each time this died down, there remained the little pocket of vociferous Mongolians refusing to shut up.
And very vocal ones they were too, maintaining an odd unintelligible chant throughout proceedings. The Excel crowd attempted on a couple of occasions to quell these interlopers with a rousing “Team GB, Team GB”, but each time this died down, there remained the little pocket of vociferous Mongolians refusing to shut up.
This was the first fight
of the evening where it was impossible for me to identify a clearly superior
fighter. The Mongolian had enjoyed the
upper hand early on, but Stalker hadn’t half hit him with some telling blows in
the final round, and I thought the Brit had maybe done just enough.
But there were loud groans of disappointment around the arena as the Mongolian boxer was given the verdict by a single point. Stalker stalked off with a face like fizz to lodge an appeal against the decision, which came to naught.
But there were loud groans of disappointment around the arena as the Mongolian boxer was given the verdict by a single point. Stalker stalked off with a face like fizz to lodge an appeal against the decision, which came to naught.
The atmosphere in the
arena was, inevitably, a touch flat after that decision and the fourth quarter-final
was fought out in front of a generally subdued crowd. But I had already made the decision to leave
before the next selection of quarter-finals commenced, fatigue finally having
caught up with me.
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| Tom Stalker v Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg - London 2012 |
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| Tom Stalker v Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg - London 2012 |
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| The moment Tom Stalker's Olympics were over. |
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| Tom Stalker leaves the Excel Arena following his quarter-final defeat. |
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