Boxing World Championships Baku - Three silver medals for Team GB
Last updated 10/10/2011 10:07:47 AM
Boxing World Championships Baku - Three silver medals for Team GB
Britain's super heavyweight Anthony Joshua will look forward to his tilt at the Olympic gold medal after being pipped by the local boxer for the World title by the local favourite in Baku.
The 21 year old Londoner looked to be heading for a major title when he led Magomedrasul Medzhidov 8-5 in the first round only to take a standing count of eight in the second before being edged out 22-21.
There was reason to be hugely proud of his achievement as this was only his second senior tournament and he dominated the first round and did enough in the final round to suggest he can be a real contender for gold next year.
"I'm proud to have got to final," he said afterwards.
"Congratulations to the winner, he put up a tough fight and wanted it as much as I did. I gave it my best and I lost but I was one step away from gold.
On another day in another country he might well have gained the decision in such a close fight.
Britons Andrew Selby and Luke Campbell also won silver medals after being beaten in their finals at the World Amateur Boxing Championships.
Both Selby and Campbell paid for slow starts as they lost in the flyweight and bantamweight categories respectively.
"I'm nowhere near the finished article. I've had 35 bouts, been boxing four years and there's so much more to work on," said Joshua," I set a goal to give my best and put my heart into it. I did that and that got me to the final and so close to the gold."
While Joshua narrowly failed to hold on to his early advantage, Selby and Campbell never quite managed to recover from their sluggish openings.
And although England's Campbell, like Joshua, has the consolation of having already secured his place in the 2012 Olympics, 22-year-old Welshman Selby now faces a box-off against Khalid Yafai for the sole Team GB place in the 52kg category.
Selby felt his performance in round two and, especially, round three after losing the opener 4-2 should have secured not only the top spot on the podium but also his place in London.
"I thought I'd done just enough to win," he said.
"I lost the first but thought I'd brought it back in the second. In the last I thought I'd won by a good two or three points but I ended up losing by a point.
"I wanted gold so much to go to the Olympics but I've got to have a box-off now - I'll have to stay in shape because I don't know when it is."
Campbell, 24, was also left to reflect on the damage done by a low-key opener in which his opponent was continually first to the punch.
"Next time I need to go out there and have a faster start," he admitted.
"Silver is fantastic but I wasn't settling for that, I wanted the gold. Next time I'll come back better - nobody will ever do that to me twice, I'll make sure they won't."
While four out of 15 British boxers left with medals, United States competitors did less well with Rau'shee Warren's bronze their only medal from 10 entrants.