Josh Kelly, Boxing
Josh Kelly,
Boxing
B
orn on 7th March 1994, 21 year old Josh Kelly is still
in the early stages of his boxing career. Weighing
around 69kg Kelly competes at Welterweight and
has already demonstrated the potential to be a
success in the boxing world.
Coming from Sunderland, Kelly has shown that he has both
the determination and skills to go a long way in the ring. In 2012
he took the bronze medal in the World Youth Championships in
Armenia before going on to be crowned the England Boxing Elite
Champion in 2013.
His most recent triumph came at the European Games in
Baku this summer when he took the bronze medal with many
feeling that he was unlucky to lose to home favourite Parviz
Baghirov in the semi-final. His performance in this competition
should provide him with the perfect platform from which to
push on in his career.
Father and coach Paul Kelly spoke to www.sunderlandecho.
com after the competition, saying, “I’m happy and sad at the
same time.
“Josh went out there with the aim of getting on the podium
and he’s done that, he’s got a bronze medal. He did it in style as
well with great wins against Belarus and Ireland. To win bronze
is a brilliant achievement and massive experience.
“But I’m sad that it could have been totally different if the
judging had been fair and I’m not sure it was. I thought Josh
clearly won the first, but when the Azerbaijan lad got it, it set the
tone for the rest of the fight.
“When Baghirov got the first, it meant Josh had to change his
tactics. Once Josh is on the front foot, he’s out of his comfort zone
– he likes to be on the back foot, using his speed to pick off his
opponent. If Josh had won the first round, which it looked like
he had, then the Azerbaijan boxer would have had to chase him
and Josh would have picked him off.”
Although Josh would obviously have liked to have taken the
gold medal he has every right to be proud of what he achieved in
Baku. His performances reflected the fact that he is on the right
track and if he can continue to develop he appears to be heading
for a bright future. Everyone at Sport in Profile would like to
take this opportunity to wish Josh the best of luck for the coming
years.
www.sportip.biz
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