SIX GB Boxers secured medals on the final day of action at the World Boxing Cup Finals in Sheffield with Dione Burman, Odel Kamara and Dimeji Shittu all winning gold.
The three remaining medals were earned by Vivien Parsons, Kayla Allen and Ellis Trowbridge who had to settle for silver at the English Institute of Sport following defeat.
Today’s action concludes GB Boxing’s competition for 2024 with the squad and staff already looking ahead to LA2028.
In all GB Boxing affair that was fiercely contested throughout all three rounds, Dione Burman earned the first gold medal of the day by beating teammate Kayla Allen in the women’s welterweight final.
The 3-2 victory for Burman means she has now won gold at both Sheffield based events this year, having been crowned champion back at the inaugural competition back in January.
The 66kg boxer was competing for the third time, earning victories over both Switrzerland’s Anna Jenni and Brazil’s Beatriz Soares earlier in this week.
Burman said: “I feel good. I started a bit slow, so I’m not happy with myself about that but I’m glad about the win. It’s been a rocky road with boxing over the last few months. So, I’m pleased with the gold.
“It was a tough one. Kayla’s tough, but it was a good fight, I enjoyed it.
“My year? It could have been better. Had a few downs, but obviously I’ve come back stronger. It’s good to finish the year strong, so I’ll be back again next year and hopefully keep improving.”
Next up to clinch gold was Odel Kamara.
The Liverpudlian dominated his final bout with Japan’s Olympian Sewonrers Okazawa before it was brought to a close inside the third round due to an accidental clash of heads – with the judges scoring the contest unanimously in favour of the Brit.
The win brings to an end an impressive year for the light-middleweight who was also recently crowned champion at the Dacal in September.
Kamara said: “It’s amazing being here with everybody. All the support. It was boss, I loved it, and I can’t wait to do it again next time. I’ll told you gold was coming to Liverpool!
“I got a big cut in the last round. I was just silly. I was winning. He’s an Olympian. I was winning five-nil every round. I should have just danced around and got away. But I like a fight, so what can I say?
“I’ve had nine fights this year, nine wins. I came back from an injury and I haven’t lost a round I’m looking forward to continuing in that vein. I’ve had an Olympian, a world bronze medallist, a European gold medallist. So, I’ve beat top competition, and I’m on top of my game.”
The third and final GB boxer to secure a gold medal on the final day of action was Dimeji Shittu who eased to unanimous victory with a slick display against Japan’s Go Wakaya.
Shittu said: “I’m very happy with my performance. I just went in there today and had fun. I didn’t really put too much emphasis on winning, I just wanted to go and enjoy it.
“I’ve got people from my club, a little crowd here with me. I don’t really box in the UK being on GB, but every time my mates are there, it’s always a buzz. I feed off the energy.
“This year has been very good. You know, it’s had its ups and downs, but those ups and downs just made me stronger mentally and made me go back, work on my game. And sometimes, that’s just what you need.”
Elsewhere on finals day, Vivien Parsons had to settle for featherweight silver after she was beaten by Brazil’s Pan American champion and Paris 2024 Olympian, Jucielen Romeu, via unanimous decision.
On her way to the final, Parsons secured stoppage victories over both Italy’s Federica Zanellato and Thailand’s Preedakaman Tintabthai.
At men’s flyweight Ellis Trowbridge was unlucky to find himself on the wrong end of. 3:2 split versus Mongolia’s Battulga Aldarkhishig in what can be considered as a bout of the day contender.
It means the London-based boxer will leave the competition with a silver medal having scored memorable victories over Italy’s Flippo Seca and Japan’s impressive Soushi Makino on his way to today’s concluding bout.
The full medal list is as follows:
Gold
W66kg: Dione Burman ENG
M71kg: Odel Kamara ENG
M80kg: Oladimeji Shittu ENG
Silver
W57kg: Vivien Parsons ENG
W66kg: Kayla Allen ENG
M51kg: Ellis Trowbridge ENG
