ROBBED – coach hits out as McGoldrick misses out on gold (From South Wales Argus)

ROBBED – coach hits out as McGoldrick misses out on gold

8:30am Thursday 14th October 2010 in Commonwealth Games By Chris Kirwan

COACH Tony Borg has pulled no punches in attacking the scoring that denied his protégé Sean McGoldrick Commonwealth Games gold.

The St Joseph’s Boxing Club bantamweight finished level 7-7 on points with Manju Wanniarachchi but the veteran Sri Lankan edged it on count-back.

McGoldrick led for much of the three-round bout but just lost out to his 30-year-old rival, a decision that left many onlookers both at ringside and in Newport angry.

Borg, who watched the fight with an army of McGoldrick supporters in the Picton Arms in Newport, said: “I thought that he had won it and I scored it 10-8 in his favour – that means the judges missed three of his shots and one of his opponent’s.

“The scoring has been poor throughout the Games and a lot of the public have been switching off because of it. Something has to be done because it is not good for the sport when decisions like this are made.

“Sean did fantastically to win silver but I am devastated for him because he deserves gold.

“It is not like he has got to learn from his mistakes because he did not make any – he won that fight.”

The judges press either a red or blue button when they feel a scoring blow has been landed and three of the five must signal within a second for it to register.

Television summariser Richie Woodhall, a former world champion supermiddleweight who lost to Joe Calzaghe in 2000, was aghast at the number of unrewarded punches.

But Borg feels McGoldrick has shown he has the attitude, talent and adaptability to go from strength to strength.

“I think Sean will be very proud of what he has achieved when it all sinks in,” he said.

“He has boxed so intelligently has adapted his style for what was needed – he is a big puncher but boxed to score points.

“That shows what a hard worker he is. He has come down the gym after school and put the time in to improve and now he has got the reward. We are over the moon for him.”