Amy Broadhurst sets her sights on gold medal

The Team NI boxer showed all her class as she guaranteed herself a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a round three stoppage of Zambia’s Fellistus Nkandu in her first taste of action at the NEC.

Broadhurst will face Nigeria’s Cynthia Ogunsemilore in this afternoon’s lightweight semi-final

“The reason why I’ve come here is because I want to make history,” she said.

“I said before the World Championships that this year I want to be World gold medallist, Commonwealth gold medallist and European gold medallist.

“These are all things on my list that I want to achieve.

“The Commonwealth Games is such an amazing tournament and I was never going to turn down the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland at the games.”

Broadhurst was the last of the 12 Team NI boxers to get in the ring and she had plenty of support in Birmingham.

“It is brilliant to have such an amazing crowd here,” she said. “It feels brilliant I have people that have travelled from Ireland to see me.

“I have had people from different parts of England to see me,

“My dad is English, I have lived there for a while myself so to box in front of an English crowd and feel a little bit of home is brilliant.”

Entering the ring as world champion puts a huge target on Broadhurst’s back.

“I didn’t really feel pressure because I was the last boxer in,” she said.

“It was a very long day waiting around and usual in would be in and out of the ring in the afternoon session so to be the last boxer in was long but it really didn’t bother me that much.”

Broadhurst made a slow start in the first round before dominating the fight forcing her opponent to take a standing eight count in the second round and finishing it in the third.

“She was very awkward, I was getting caught with punches that I have never been caught with before,” she explained. “There were swings coming from everywhere and she was a very strong opponent too.

“I knew she was going to bring a toughness and awkwardness, so I had to be switched on, The first one is always the hardest so to get it out of the way and secure a medal now is a good feeling.

“I knew near the end of the first round I was starting to get my rhythm and I knew the punches were landing on her.

“Once I relaxed and got the punches flowing and listened to the tactics everything fell into place.”

Seven of the 12 boxers Team NI sent to Birmingham will medal (colour to be decided) and four of the seven are female fighters.

“It is a brilliant team,” said Broadhurst. “When you line us all up and look at what everyone has achieved, you have an Olympic bronze medallist, a World gold medallist, Carly Mc Naul is No5 in the world and Dylan is No2 in Europe at 19-years of age, it’s unbelievable.

“I’ve said to everybody Dylan Eagleson is the future of boxing. He’s incredible and you could watch him all day long and the fact that I am part of such an amazing time is an achievement in itself.

“We are all capable of winning gold medals but as you have seen over the tournament anything can happen, one punch can change a fight. Aidan (Walsh) got a cut and that could have been a lot worse so you just need to take one step at a time and if we do that I’m pretty sure we’ll have seven gold medals going back to Northern Ireland.