Team NI boxing co-captain Caitlin Fryers started her Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaign with an impressive unanimous points victory over Bangladesh’s Zinnat Ferdous at 51kg.
Fryers is aiming to bring home a gold medal to the Immaculata Boxing Club in Belfast 60 years after Jim McCourt achieved that feat at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, two years after he won Olympic bronze.
“It was unreal to get the Commonwealth Game campaign started, it was good to get the first one out of the way and to get into the swing of things as well.” said Fryers.
Ferdous tried to spoil the fight, but once Fryers clicked into gear and found her range with the left jab the result was never in doubt.
“The initial thing was to work inside and keep the tempo high, but once I was getting inside she was just grabbing hold of me and trying to pick her punches and move, but she got a point deduction.
“I knew the point deduction was coming for her because every time I was inside she was holding. I hate fights like that because they are messy and you can’t really show up, but it is good to get that one out of the way in the first round.
“Unanimous is better that a split decision because you are not nervous when the decision is getting called out, so I’m into the quarter-final now.”
Fryers explained how she will prepare for her last eight clash with India’s Sakshi Sakshi on Wednesday afternoon.
“I relaxed the rest of Monday and then a bit of training and technically work on Tuesday before the quarter-final.”
