CG Boxing: Wanniarachchi in Bantamweight final [October 11 2010]

Boxer Manju Wanniarachchi  kept Sri Lanka’s hopes of a gold medal alive when he beat Botswana’s Tirafalo Seoko in their bantam weight bout of the Commonwealth Games worked off in New Delhi today.  The referee stopped the semi final contest in first minute of the second round with Wanniarachchi leading 5-0. Seoko tasted a terrific left hook from Wanniarachchi.

It will be a decisive day for Sri Lanka boxing tomorrow when Wanniarachchi faces his tough opponent from Wales, Sean Mc Goldrick in the Bantam Weight (56kg) category final at the Tal Katora Indoor Stadium.

“I worked hard for a really long period and this time I did not come here to lose. With the help of my coach Harsha Kumara, the Cuban coach and team manager Dian Gomes, I have come a long way and I will never turn back now. I have studied my opponent and am confident of winning the gold” said Wanniarachchi.

In the other semi-final of the 56 Kilogram weight category, Wales’ Sean Mc Goldrick defeated Mauritius’ Louise Julie 2-1 and secured his place in tomorrow’s final. The 18 year old Welsh boxer who is a former WABA youth champion, silver medalist at the GB Championships and the WABA senior bantamweight champion, is the youngest competitor in the bantam weight class. If Wanniarachchi wins tomorrow, it will be the first time in 78 years that Sri Lanka has won a gold medal in boxing the Commonwealth Games history.