Joe Joyce wins in China as the British Lionhearts lose once again

SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHT Joe Joyce, maintained his progress towards qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio with his fourth win of the season in the World Series of Boxing despite the British Lionhearts losing 4-1 to the China Dragons in Sanya.

Joyce is currently second in the WSB individual table. The top ranked super-heavyweight boxer at the end of the regular season will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Joyceโ€™s first round stoppage of Vladan Babic was the highpoint of the evening for a Lionhearts team that was on the wrong end of three split decisions.

At welterweight another strong performance by Nottinghamโ€™s Ekow Essuman went unrewarded as he lost to Wei Liu.ย The same was true of the light-heavyweight contest which saw Oldhamโ€™s John Newell lose out despite a fine performance against Yibulayin Abudureyimu, with one judge scoring all five rounds in favour of the Lionheartsโ€™ man.ย Defeats for the LIonhearts two overseas boxers,ย Kelvin De La Nieve, who lost the flyweight contest on a split, and Franceโ€™s, Oualid Belaoura, who was defeated unanimously at lightweight, ensured the China Dragons avenged the defeat inflicted upon them by the Lionhearts in the reverse fixture at York Hall back in January.

Don’t miss this week’s issue of the magazine for more amateur boxing news and features

 

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