NEWPORT boxer Fred Evans has the talent to claim Olympic gold in London.

That’s according to Team GB’s performance director Rob McCracken, speaking in the build-up to Evans’ last-16 bout with Lithuanian Egidijus Kavaliauskas tomorrow.

McCracken was pleased with the welterweight’s performance in beating Algeria’s Ilyas Abbadi 18-10 on Sunday, and believes the European champion has it in him to go all the way at the ExCeL.

Fourth seed Kavaliauskas dropped and stopped 21-year-old Evans in the quarter-finals of last year’s World Championships, but McCracken is confident the British southpaw will exact his revenge.

“Fred has a tough opponent in the Lithuanian who beat him in the World Championships last year,” said McCracken, who also coaches IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch.

“But there’s no reason why Fred can’t box his way through the tournament as he is a tremendous talent.

“He performed very well in his opener and he has what it takes to go all the way.

“Although the Lithuanian beat him before I don’t think that will bother Fred and I think he can make up for it this time.”

McCracken did admit, however, that he has had words with the St Joseph’s Gym fighter about keeping his cool amidst vociferous home support like that he was given against Abbadi.

“Fred fought absolutely brilliantly, but he got a little bit excited and a little bit carried away with the crowd.

“That is to be expected really because the crowd really rose for him and it was nice to see.

“He will calm down now, he has to. We had a chat with him and told him he needs to settle down better and be a bit more calm.”

Meanwhile, fellow Welsh fighter Andrew Selby is itching to begin his Olympic campaign, having been handed a first-round bye.

The current flyweight world No1 is also in last-16 action tomorrow, when he will take on Llyas Suelimenov of Kazakhstan.

McCracken says Barry boy Selby, 21, is raring to go.

“There are three or four of them that had a bye in the first round because they are top seeds, having done so well over the last few years at majors,” he said.

“Andrew is just staying focused and staying calm. We have been doing some speed work, and we did a touch of sparring with him, but he is a really experienced kid and he is very professional so he will be fine.

“He has got itchy feet because he wants to get that first bout out of the way and with it being fairly tough opposition that will maybe be cause for a touch of anxiety.

“But he is very experienced, and has been around for a while.

“He has won medals everywhere and will just have to remain calm and he should be fine.”

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