Commonwealth Games: McFadden slams ‘corruption’

REECE McFadden has branded amateur boxing as “corrupt” after his quest for Commonwealth flyweight gold ended in a split decision semi-final defeat at the SECC yesterday.

Reece loses out on a place in the final but he still secures a Bronze medal. Picture: TSPL

The 19-year-old from Motherwell, one of the headline-grabbers at Glasgow 2014 with a series of shock victories over higher-ranked opponents, lost out to Andrew Moloney of Australia in a desperately close battle.

Two of the three judges – Armando Carbonell of Colombia and Bahodir Jumaniyazov of Uzbekistan – scored it 2 rounds to 1 in Moloney’s favour, while Yasar Cinar of Turkey gave all three rounds to McFadden.

The young Scot, who had overcome world No 1 Andrew Selby of Wales and English champion Charlie Edwards on his way to the last four, could not hide his bitter disappointment afterwards as he claimed unscrupulous conduct was at play.

“Boxing is corrupt,” said McFadden. “I’ve been boxing for more than ten years, since the juniors, and you know yourself when you have won a fight. This fight wasn’t a big robbery, but I definitely thought I did enough to win it in the last round. I was busier. But that’s what happens in boxing, it’s corrupt.

“I was in Kazakhstan once, boxing a boy from Uzbekistan – you can watch it on YouTube if you look. I went for it, landed loads of shots to body and head, and yet be beat me something like 15 points to two. Are you kidding me? Even he couldn’t believe he’d won.

“It was a closer fight today and Andrew is a tough boy, but I never felt I was behind. I thought I had every round.

“It’s a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games and I’ll be delighted with that when it sinks in. But I came here for gold and knew I could go all the way. I’m just scunnered to not make it to the final. I was positive I would get gold.”

Moloney will face Muhammad Waseem of Pakistan in the flyweight final at the SSE Hydro today, where Scotland’s brightest hope for boxing gold will be light-welterweight Josh Taylor.

The 23-year-old from Prestonpans secured a unanimous decision points victory over Sam Maxwell of England in yesterday’s semi-finals and will now take on Junias Jonas of Namibia as he seeks to improve on the silver medal he claimed in the lightweight division in Delhi four years ago.