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Briton Saunders impresses in first Games bout win
Billy Joe Saunders looks set to succeed Amir Khan as the bright new face of British Olympic boxing after a classy performance saw him cruise through his first bout of the Games on Sunday.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:49 August 10, 2008
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Billy Joe Saunders (left), of Britain, and Adem Kilicci, of Turkey, during their welterweight match.
Beijing: Billy Joe Saunders looks set to succeed Amir Khan as the bright new face of British Olympic boxing after a classy performance saw him cruise through his first bout of the Games on Sunday.
A year older than Khan was when he won silver four years ago in Athens, welterweight Saunders showed maturity beyond his years to outbox Adem Kilicci of Turkey 14-3.
"I was a bit nervous, but you have to be able to deal with the pressure," said Saunders, a Romany living on a travellers' site on the outskirts of London.
"It was all new for me today, but (British coach) Terry (Edwards) sat me down and helped me get things clear in my head," he added.
Cautious at first, Saunders soon gained confidence and took control of the fight, hitting his opponent almost at will and getting out of trouble with sweet body moves.
Edwards, who guided lightweight Khan to silver in Athens and super-heavyweight Audley Harrison to gold four years earlier in Sydney, admitted he was impressed.
Coach praise
"It was a mature performance from the youngest member of our team, a tremendous performance," the coach said.
Saunders will be tested again in the next round, against Cuba's Carlos Banteaux, but can take inspiration from the fact that he beat him at a tournament in Bulgaria earlier this year.
"It was 26-26 and I won on the countback," said Saunders, whose great-grandfather was a bare-knuckle prize fighter.
He added: "It will be a battle to the end, but I'm in it to win a medal for Great Britain."
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