Welsh boxer Garan Croft wins Commonwealth Games bronze as twin brother Ioan vies for gold

Welsh boxer Garan Croft claimed a Commonwealth Games bronze medal after exiting the semi-finals on a split decision.

Pembrokeshire native Croft, 20, endured a frustrating nine minutes at Birmingham's NEC Hall on Saturday as he fell to a defeat to elusive Northern Irish boxer Aidan Walsh, beaten 4-1 on points in the light-middleweight category. The Cardigan ABC product could not close the gap on his rival, whose hit and move tactics were too much to cope with.

Walsh, a 25-year-old Olympic bronze medallist, was always going to be a tough opponent for Croft and he lived up to that expectation, dictating the pace and tempo from the get-go.

After finishing with bronze, Garan said: “A nightmare is the best way to sum him up, he’s an incredibly skilful boxer but he is five years further down the line and used all that experience to good effect. I hope I’ve made a corner of Wales very proud, and I certainly gave it all I had. I couldn’t have given any more. I just couldn’t catch him and make it my kind of fight.”

It means Garan and identical twin brother Ioan's dream of bringing home matching gold medals will have to wait. Ioan’s gold medal final will take place on Sunday, August 7, at around 7.45pm, against Zambia’s Stephen Zimba, a fellow welterweight.

“It’s a dream come true but there is still nine minutes of work left,” said Ioan. “In the Europeans, Garan got to the final and I didn’t - now it’s my turn to shine and hopefully bring that gold medal back for us.”

Since taking up the sport, the Crymych siblings have fought at different weights in order to avoid facing each other – and the wrath of their mother. You can read more about their promise to her here.

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