John Docherty beats Ben Whittaker at the Commonwealth Games

John Docherty

JOHN DOCHERTY booked his place in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games when he beat Englandโ€™s top middleweight Ben Whittaker. The GB rivals had boxed before, in the Commonwealth Youth Games in fact. The Scotsman prevailed again in the senior version. He won by split decision in a close bout, often marred by clinches. Docherty is now guaranteed a medal.

Dochertyโ€™s team mate at 52kgs, Reece McFadden will join him in the semi-finals after he beat Pakistanโ€™s Syed Assif on a unanimous decision.

English lightweight Paige Murney is now guaranteed a medal, after she unanimously outpointed Northern Irelandโ€™s Alanna Nihell. โ€œWeโ€™ve boxed each other six times and Iโ€™m winning 4-2 now so I think that bout was the easiest Iโ€™ve ever made it,โ€ Murney told the BBC.

โ€œIโ€™ve only been boxing around five years and itโ€™s just my ninth international fight so to do it on this stage is amazing and Iโ€™m ready to change the colour now โ€“ and bring that gold medal back to Leicester and England.โ€

Northern Ireland have two semi-finalists in Brendan Irvine and Stephen Donnelly. Irvine beat Botswanaโ€™s Rajab Mahommed, while Donnelly defeated Samoaโ€™s Henry Tyrell.

After beating New Zealandโ€™s Tasmyn Benny, Kristina Oโ€™Hara will represent Northern Ireland in the light-flyweight final against Indian legend Mary Kom.

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