European Championships: Andrew Selby wins historic gold medal
- Published
- comments
Welshman Andrew Selby is the first British fighter to defend a European amateur boxing title after beating Ireland's Michael Conlan on a split decision to win flyweight gold.
Selby, 24, consigned Conlan to silver.
The gold is Britain's first in Belarus after super heavyweight Joe Joyce and light-flyweight Jack Bateson lost their respective semi-finals to win bronze.
Meanwhile, Ireland's Paddy Barnes has withdrawn from his light-flyweight final with a broken nose.
Barnes said on Twitter, external that X-rays had shown his nose is broken, suffering the injury in his first fight of the European Championships in Minsk.
And the news was later confirmed by Ireland's head coach, Billy Walsh.
Barnes will take home a silver medal, with Russian opponent David Aryapetyan sealing gold.
For flyweight Selby, his dominant final round performance was enough to secure a fourth consecutive European medal after winning gold in Moscow two years ago and bronze in 2008 and 2010.
"Words cannot express how I am feeling right now," he told BBC Sport. "I have had a few fights with Michael Conlan and he is the toughest I have fought.
"It was a split decision, and it could have gone either way. I am just glad I have got two gold medals now."
The result also saw Selby add another victory against his Irish opponent after beating him in their World Championship quarter-final meeting in 2011, as well as edging a hard-fought bout in this year's World Series of Boxing.
Watch highlights of the European Championships on BBC2, Sunday at 1600 BST.
- Published8 June 2013
- Published8 June 2013
- Published7 June 2013
- Published7 June 2013