Donnelly clinches Commonwealth medal after quarter-final win

Steven Donnelly won his opening Commonwealth Games contest inside half a minute.

The Ballymena boxer won his welterweight quarter-final bout against Canada’s Custio Clayton on a unanimous decision on Wednesday night.

Roared on by a big support at the SECC, Donnelly found Clayton a step up from his previous two opponents.

Despite taking a hard right-hand blow which saw him lose his balance, Donnelly recovered to win the opening round on two of the judges’ scorecards with the third judge unable to separate the two boxers.

Despite Clayton’s attempts to keep Donnelly at close quarters in the second round, the Northern Ireland boxer continued to enjoy success with his quick feet movement.

WIth Donnelly ahead on two judges’ cards Clayton had to throw caution to the wind and Donnelly had to remain alert to avoid a knockout but he finished the third round strongly to secure the verdict from all three judges.

Donnelly continues Northern Ireland’s remarkable run of success in the boxing ring at the Glasgow Games.

He now goes into Friday’s semi-final, aiming to turn at least a bronze medal into the possibility of a silver or gold.

As it stands, he will become the first Ballymena sportersperson to secure a Commonwealth Games medal since bowler Jim Baker in the 2002 Games.