Commonwealth Games: NI's boxers win five golds to break record medal tally

Northern Ireland's boxers won five gold medals to set a new Team NI record on a remarkable day at the Commonwealth Games.

The success means the nation have now claimed seven golds in Birmingham, surpassing the previous record of five at Victoria 1994.

Aidan Walsh, Dylan Eagleson, Amy Broadhurst and Michaela Walsh took unanimous decisions after Jude Gallagher won by walkover.

Carly McNaul had to settle for silver.

Boxing has once again delivered from its position as Team NI's most successful Commonwealth sport, delivering seven of their record 18 medals.

The boxers won eight on the Gold Coast four years ago, but failed to see a single fighter climb to the top of the podium. This time, gold is the dominant colour in what has been a magnificent showing at the National Exhibition Centre.

Gallagher wins by walkover before Eagleson shines

Finals Sunday started in bizarre fashion with Tyrone's Gallagher being awarded the featherweight title without stepping into the ring in either the semi-final or the gold medal match.

His Canadian last-four opponent Keoma-Ali Al-Ahmadieh pulled out just 15 minutes before the first bell on Saturday, then a day later Ghana's Joseph Commey was declared medically unfit to fight in the final.

It was a rather flat finale to what had been a highly impressive tournament from the Two Castles ABC man.

He was the first NI boxer in action in the round of 32 and claimed three eye-catching wins, including the first-round stoppage of home favourite Niall Farrell.

Bangor's Eagleson then came into the ring and thrilled a packed NEC in a memorable fight during which he found himself behind following a first round that Ghana's Abraham Mensah controlled with his heavy-handed shots.

However, Eagleson turned it around with clinical composure far beyond his 19 years, skilfully avoiding the Ghanaian's combinations before picking up points with beautiful counter-punches to seal a 5-0 win at his first Games.

In the women's light-flyweight final, McNaul was well beaten by world champion Nikhat Zareen.

The Belfast native found little success against the mightily impressive world champion, who controlled the distance beautifully to ease to the top of the podium.

A second successive Commonwealth silver for McNaul remains an impressive return for a fighter who has had two operations and suffered a broken femur since the last Games in 2018.

Walsh siblings reach top of podium as Broadhurst justifies hype

The fight with Northern Irish involvement saw Michaela Walsh, controversially beaten into second at Glasgow 2014 and again on the Gold Coast, finally secure gold at 57kg.

Against Elizabeth Oshoba of Nigeria, Walsh was stealthy and unflappable despite her opponent's best efforts to drag her into a brawl.

An visible exhalation of relief left Walsh upon confirmation of her unanimous victory, which goes some way to banishing the sour taste from her previous Commonwealth finals.

Much was expected of 25-year-olds Aidan Walsh and Broadhurst given their impressive CVs, the former arriving as an Olympic medallist and the latter a reigning amateur world champion.

Neither disappointed with thoroughly comprehensive victories in their respective finals.

First Walsh, having dispatched of European champion Harris Akbar in the quarters, controlled his bout with Mozambique's Tiago Osorio Muxanga.

Once again sitting on the back foot, Walsh tempted Muxanga to come forward and floored him with a vicious right in the first round before jabbing and keeping himself well away from trouble as he cruised to victory.

Broadhurst, in her first Commonwealths, carried a heavy weight of expectation into the Games having been crowned world champion in May.

At no stage in any of her three fights did she appear burdened by pressure, though, as she proved herself to be a class above the rest of the lightweight division.

In Sunday's final against England's Gemma Paige Richardson, Broadhurst was again imperious with her thunderous left hand keeping Richardson from finding any sort of momentum and silencing a partisan crowd.

• Commonwealth Games day-by-day guide & schedule

• Birmingham 2022 medal table