Dundee fighter Sam Hickey delivered a punch-perfect display against Saint Lucia’s Kyghan Mortley in his Commonwealth Games debut.
The Lochee lad, 22, won every round of his Birmingham 2022 bow against Mortley, whose rough-house tactics saw him deducted a point during the contest.
An explosive start to the round of 16 clash saw both fighters come out swinging, with Hickey’s chin tested by a solid left hook from his opponent.
But the Scot stood firm and soon took over, despite constant holding from Mortley.
Hickey couldn’t miss with the straight right hand and it was no surprise when he swept round one on the judges’ cards.
Round two followed the same pattern, with a beautiful right hook from Hickey near the corner hurting Mortley just moments before the point deduction.
The final round brought more frustration for the Saint Lucian southpaw who couldn’t find the target thanks to Hickey’s impressive head movement and footwork.
Former WBC middleweight champion Richie Woodhall, speaking in his role as BBC boxing pundit, said: “It was a tricky start for Sam Hickey.
“He [Mortley] was quite dangerous with those wild shots.
“But Hickey found his range, kept his punches straight and out-boxed his opponent.
“Overall, it was a good display from Sam Hickey – lovely boxing on the back foot and great bout management.”
Hickey is back in quarter-final action on Wednesday against Nigeria’s Benson Adeyinka.
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