Golden Gloves Rosie Eccles Leads Way As Welsh Boxers Strike Triple Gold In Lithuania

By Gareth James

Rosie Eccles stopped her opponent to win her second gold in succession at the Socikas Tournament in Kaunus.

The 24-year-old welterweight followed up her victory at the Belgrade Winner event in Serbia with another triumph at the tournament in Lithuania.

Eccles was part of the GB Boxing squad but there were also golds for Welsh Boxing squad duo Billy Unsworth and Taylor Bevan.

Gwent fighter Eccles needed less than two rounds to continue her run of medal winning form in 2021 seeing off local fighter Augustina Markelionyte.

https://twitter.com/gbboxing/status/1393589372772040706

The in-form 69kg fighter had seen off Russia’s former world championships silver medallist Saadat Dalgatova in the semi-final.

Eccles, the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, had started the year with bronze at the Bocskai event in Hungary.

Welsh Boxing had four members of the squad in finals on super Saturday finishing with two golds and two silvers.

Shotton’s Unsworth quickly made it double gold with victory over England’s GB-squad boxer Niall Farrell in the featherweight (57kg) category.

https://twitter.com/WelshBoxing/status/1393601684513906690

And Bevan capped a memorable day with gold in the middleweight (75Bkg) final with victory over France’s Moreno Fendero.

Crymych’s Ioan Croft claimed silver after defeat in the welterweight (69kg) final to Filip Wachala.

And twin brother Garan also ended the tournament with silver as Lithuania’s Vytautas Balsys took gold in the middleweight (75kg) final.