Medal Alert: McCormack boxes his way to Olympic silver

at McCormack’s quest for gold came up just short but he still leaves Tokyo with a medal after securing Team GB’s 16th silver of the Games in the men’s welterweight division.

Having beaten Aliaksandr Radzionau (BLR) and Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB), before getting a walkover against Ireland’s Aidan Walsh in the semi-finals, McCormack faced Roniel Iglesias in the gold medal bout.

The boxer from Tyneside fought valiantly but his

experienced Cuban opponent, who won bronze at Beijing 2008 and gold at London 2012 – both in the light welterweight category – used his veteran instincts to control the bout and keep the Brit at arm’s length.

McCormack hit the canvas in the second round, although it was deemed a slip and eventually lost the decision on all five judges’ scorecards.

The man with the golden mouthguard, who has been competing in Tokyo alongside his twin brother Luke, couldn’t quite earn the medal to match but silver is far from a consolation prize.

McCormack had vowed to “complete amateur boxing” at these Games by winning gold and although he fell just short at the Kokugikan Arena, the spiritual home of sumo wrestling, he still deservedly claimed a spot on the Olympic podium.

McCormack, 26, from Washington, said: “I was just up against a top fighter from Cuba, he’s a double Olympic champion now.

“I thought I took the first round and he edged the second two, so I’ve got no complaints – I lost to a very, very good fighter. It is what it is. They tell you the scores between rounds, so I knew I was down.  

“He was very good – had good little judgement of distances. He’s a very, very good fighter.

“I’m proud to be part of the team. We’ve broke all the records from the last squads, with more medals. We’ll go down in history as one of the best GB teams ever.

“I’ve got an Olympic silver medal, so it’s a good platform to turn professional on and I’m ready for the pros. I’ve fought a lot of good Olympians.”