EIGHT GB Boxers will return from the first World Boxing Cup event of 2025 with medals, including Sacha Hickey who was crowned welterweight champion following two dominant victories in Foz Do Iguaçu, Brazil.
Silver medals were claimed by Isaac Okoh (90kg) and Damar Thomas (90+kg) after they were beaten by Uzbek duo Turabek Khabibullaev (5:0) and Jakhongir Zokirov (3:2) in their respective finals.
There was also a silver for Odel Kamara (71kg) who after reaching the light-middleweight final in impressive style was forced to withdraw from his final as an injury precaution.
Bronze medals were awarded to Lauren Mackie (54kg), Vivien Parsons (57kg), Elise Glynn (60kg) and Patris Mughalzai (65kg) after all four reached the semi-final stage of competition before suffering defeat.
In her gold medal match, Sacha Hickey outpointed Poland’s Kinga Krowka across all three rounds to seal a unanimous victory and with it the women’s welterweight crown.
The gold medal and two victories in Foz do Iguaçu, with the first coming unanimously versus USA’s Paris 2024 Olympian Morelle McCane, continues a remarkable run of form from the English boxer, who since joining the World Class Programme in September 2023 remains undefeated, picking up U22 European Championships and Strandja gold along the way.
Two other GB Boxers competed at last week’s event, they were Ellis Trowbridge (50kg) and Dimeji Shittu (80kg) the duo both won their opening bouts, but we beaten prior to reaching the medal stages.
The competition in Brazil was the first to get underway since the IOC made the decision to reinstate boxing into the Olympic programme for LA28. The decision not only safeguards boxing’s future as an Olympic sport but also means World Boxing is now the International Federation (IF) responsible for organising the qualification pathway and the boxing tournament at LA28.
