Success at Golden Gong as GB Boxers earn five medals in Macedonia, including four golds

FIVE boxers from Great Britain have returned from the Golden Gong in North Macedonia, with five medals, including four golds.

Hamza Mehmood retained his flyweight champion status having also took gold at the same tournament in 2021 whilst featherweight Jack Dryden and welterweight Patrick Hewitt were crowned victors in their debut tournaments for GB Boxing, cruiserweight George Crotty won the fourth and final gold, alongside being named the Best Technical boxer.

Scotland’s Aqeel Ahmed took the team’s only bronze medal.

After beating his teammate Ahmed to reach the flyweight final, Mehmood wasted no time in making sure he sealed his second gold from as many tournaments in Macedonia as he eased his way to the top of the podium against Hungary’s Martin Virban.

Up next and competing for just the second time as a GB Boxer, his debut coming a day previous in his win against Peter Paton of Scotland, Jack Dryden followed in the footsteps of his teammate Mehmood and secured the team’s second gold of finals day.

To seal his first senior gold, the featherweight beat the host nation’s Oran Shakirovski.

Concluding the day’s action was George Crotty, who was competing at cruiserweight for the first time. Crotty demonstrated he was more than comfortable with the step up in weight, first beating Mirolad Puric of Montenegro to set up his final bout with fellow Montenegrin Petar Lijeshevich in which the England boxer once again came out victorious – claiming his first gold of 2022.

Due to low participation numbers, welterweight Hewitt was handed a walkover in his final to hand him his first senior gold medal, having comfortably beaten Scotland’s Aurel Szilagy in his semi-final.

Light-heavyweight Conner Tudsbury was scheduled to take part in this tournament however withdrew from the competition just days before it began due to an injury.