Jon McConnell’s decision to ditch Love Island to chase gold at the Commonwealth Games paid off as he romped to victory in the men’s 60kg boxing category in Glasgow.
The 23-year-old from the famous Holy Trinity club in Belfast revealed earlier in the Games that he and Northern Ireland team-mate Kaci Rock had applied for the hit ITV show before turning down interviews with the programme’s producers.
McConnell came through a cracking showdown with Orlando Holley-Sotomi of Wales and insisted he would resist the lure of a repeat application in order to pursue a dream of reaching the 2028 Olympics.
McConnell said: “If I hadn’t got through the early rounds, maybe I’d have thought I didn’t make the right decision, but I’ve got the gold medal now.
“He put me under a lot of pressure but I have a lot of belief in myself. Everybody thinks I’m just this pretty boxer type of thing, but I’m a hard, hard man to beat – and I showed it today.”
Team-mate Rock sunk to a unanimous defeat against England’s Sacha Hickey in the women’s 65kg division, continuing the 22-year-old Londoner’s impressive trajectory in the sport.
Millwall fan Hickey started boxing at the age of six after playing it on her Nintendo Wii. She was taken to the famous Fisher club in Rotherhithe where she soon excelled despite being the only girl.
“I’ve gone from Nintendo Wii to the big leagues,” laughed Hickey, after a dominant performance against her Northern Irish counterpart. “I remember shadow-boxing in front of the TV and somehow I’ve ended up here today.
“It’s put me in a great position. I’m sixth in the world rankings now and I’ve got the European Championships next, where I’m going for gold. After that it’s all about the World Championships and qualifying for LA.”
England’s Patris Mughalzai won gold in the men’s 65kg division with a unanimous victory over Jacob Cassar of Australia, and Isaac Okoh outclassed Connor Williams of Wales to make it three in an hour for his team at 90kg.
Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh won her fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal but had to settle for silver after being outpointed by India’s Jaismine Lamboria at 57kg.
