Commonwealth Games 2022: Callum Peters and Kaye Scott lose gold medal matches
Aussie middleweight Callum Peters has been denied a boxing gold medal in a controversial final round decision at the Commonwealth Games.
Comm Games
Don't miss out on the headlines from Comm Games. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australian teenage boxer Callum Peters had every reason to feel robbed of gold after a controversial end to his wild middleweight title bout at the Commonwealth Games against Scotland’s Sam Hickey.
Despite four of the five judges awarding the decisive third and final round to the 19-year-old Aussie, the Malaysian judge Mazlan Amzah gave the round to the Scotsman, even though he had taken a beating and hardly landed a clean shot.
That one vote swung the result Hickey’s way, with the Scotsman getting a 3-2 split decision overall that stunned the crowd at the National Exhibition Centre who couldn’t believe the result.
Peters received the silver medal as runner up and took his loss with good grace even though he felt he had done enough against an opponent who he said resorted to using dirty tricks to rattle him.
“I felt like I won the last round. I don’t know what that ref sees,” Hickey said.
“I felt a lot of headbutts throughout the rounds, a couple of elbows on top of the neck, I got pushed and shoved in the back but you’ve got to learn from that.
“He did get about 16 warnings, but oh well, you learn from it. This is my first time in internationals. I’m young, I’m 19. I’m just getting ready to learn, I can’t wait to get back in there again.”
There was no disputing the decision when Kaye Scott was beaten by Rosie Eccles of Wales in the women’s light middleweight final.
The oldest fighter in the Australian team, Scott was stopped in the second round after getting a third standing count.
The 38-year-old Scott shook her head in disappointment when the referee called an end to the contest but she had already taken a lot of punishment and Eccles - 12 years her junior - was in complete control.
“It definitely didn’t eventuate the way that I had planned in my head. It’s kind of an out-of-body experience,” Scott said.
“I just don’t think I was there in the moment. It wasn’t my night and Rosie was bang on, she just applied the pressure and rattled me a little bit.
“I definitely wasn’t hurt but she kept those punches coming and it didn’t obviously didn’t look good to the ref. I’ve never been stopped before.”
Scott says she has no plans to retire and is looking at turning professional.
An exciting prospect, Peters is already getting calls from promoters to also turn pro but says he wants to stay in the amateur ranks until at least the 2024 Paris Olympics.
DANCER TO BOX FOR GOLD
Two Australian boxers - the oldest and youngest members of the team - will fight for gold medals at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday night after surviving brutal contests overnight.
Fleet footed veteran Kaye Scott, a trained danger turned pugilist, will go for gold in the women’s light middleweight division before rookie teenager Callum Peters, one of the idle children of nine, laces up the gloves in the men’s middleweight category.
Both Aussies have a genuine shot at landing the big prize after they impressed the judges to get their nod on a bruising card where three Ausssies lost but got bronze medals for getting to the semis.
Scott won a split decision against Alcinda Panguana of Mozambique - the silver medallist at this year’s world titles - to advance to the gold medal bout against Rosie Eccles of Wales, the same woman who beat her in the semifinals at the Gold Coast four years ago.
But this time, Scott thinks she has her opponent’s measure now.
“There’s something weird about when you just feel it, and I know this is the time.,” the 38-year-old said.
“As they say, it gets better with age.
“If I’m still mixing with the best and performing well, I don’t see that there needs to be an end to my career at the moment.
“I’m still really loving it and I still feel like I’m improving and learning. So until the body gives away or I stop enjoying it that would be the time for me to hang up the gloves rather than someone say ‘you’re 38, you need to finish now or you’ve only got one more year left in your life’.”
Peters bashed South Africa’s Simnikwe Bongco in a one-sided contest to get a unanimous decision.
Just 19, he has looked right at home in his first international tournament but will need to be on his game to beat Scotland’s Sam Hickey for the gold medal.
Crafty, and able to switch his lead hand, the South Australian has already caught the eye of some promoters in professional boxing but has his heart on getting some major silverware in the amateur ranks first.
‘I take it one step at a time. I want to try and get to the Olympics,” he said.
“That’s my biggest goal, to be the first to get gold for Australia. That’d be pretty nice.”
Australia will collect a total of five medals in the Birmingham boxing ring, including guaranteed bronzes for the three who came up short in their semis.
Featherweight Tina Rahimi, Australia’s first female Muslim boxer, has also set her sights on going to Paris in 2024 after a tought loss to experienced Nigerian Elizabeth Oshob.
Rahimi fought back strongly after dropping the opening round, but the five judges awarded the win to the African on a split decision after she landed the better shots when the pair slugged it out in the deciding third and final round.
“We’ll just see what the future holds but I just want to inspire people around the world, the ones who see me and think it was something they weren’t able to do,” Rahimi said.
“It’s great to see people looking at me and thinking ‘wow’. It makes me feel better.”
Heavyweight Edgardo Coumi was upbeat despite losing to towering Englishman Lewis Williams - who stands 1.98 tall and has been earmarked as a future professional.
“He’s a good fighter, he was a better man on the day,” Coumi said.
“It was a big crowd, it was roaring and I feel like I proved to a lot of people out in the crowd that I’m not a pushover and I’m world class as well.”
Australia’s Caitlin Parker lost a unanimous decision to Canadian middleweight world champion Tammara Thibeault.
TOUGH LOSS FOR BREAKTHROUGH BOXER
Tina Rahimi, Australia’s first female Muslim boxer, has lost her semi-final bout at the Commonwealth Games after a bruising contest with tough Nigerian Elizabeth Oshob but vowed to keep going in the hope of inspiring others to follow her example.
Rahimi fought back strongly after losing the opening round, but the judges awarded the win to the African on a split decision after she landed the better shots when the pair slugged it out in the deciding third and final round.
“I think it got a bit scrappy now,” Rahimi said.
“I think I just really wanted to win and make sure I really worked on the inside. But coming in I feel like I got tagged a little bit. I wasn’t thinking as much as I should have.
“I should have been a little bit smarter but I just really wanted that (third) round and I guess it really showed but at the end of the day she did tag me with some shots coming in. Not that it hurt, but it’s still points at the end of the day.”
Rahimi knew the result was up in the air but said she couldn’t land the clean punches she needed in the decisive round.
“It was very close because the first round was 4-1 in her favour and then the second round was 4-1 in my favour so the last round was like ‘who’s it going to go to?’ I was just praying that it would go to me, but it wasn’t to be” she said,
“But it’s been an amazing experience. Just meeting new people, new faces, getting out of my comfort zone. It’s been amazing and the Australian team has been so supportive.
Rahimi has been a huge hit in Birmingham and won a bronze medal for reaching the semifinals.
Devoted to her faith and her sport, she wears a hijab in all her bouts, prays five times a day, and wants to show other young Muslim girls, they can do whatever they set their minds to.
A former makeup artist, the 26 year old said her main goal now is to take her message to the biggest event in global sport - the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I’m going to try for the Olympics because I just feel so comfortable being around everyone,” she said.
“I’m just a normal person. So for me to get all this attention is humbling.
“I’ve got random media from overseas contacting me, wanting to do interviews even the past few days. But I’ve just left everything on hold until I can focus on the fight.
“We’ll just see what the future holds but I just want to inspire people around the world, the ones who see me and think it was something they weren’t able to do.
“It’s great to see people looking at me and thinking ‘wow’. It makes me feel better.”
Aussie boxer’s path from make-up artist to boxing trailblazer
Whether she’s changing people’s looks or changing the way people look at her, Tina Rahimi can’t stop from getting in people’s faces.
It started when Rahimi used to make a living enhancing women’s facial features in her former job as a make-up artist.
“I just like making people look beautiful,” she said.
“I always look at someone and think I can enhance their features a certain way. I loved doing that and making other females look and feel great when they’re going to a wedding or to an occasion.”
But now, as a boxer going for gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Rahimi has taken to rearranging people’s faces – in a far less subtle way.
She’s got a knack for it too, reaching the semi finals of the women’s featherweight division in Birmingham, where she will fight Nigeria’s Elizabeth Oshoba on Sunday morning.
“I came here for the gold and I’m going to do everything in there to make sure I get that,” Rahimi said.
“I know all the athletes in my division are amazing but I’m going to give it my best.”
Rahimi isn’t just fighting for herself, she has a greater cause. As Australia’s first female Muslim boxer, who wears a hijab in all her bouts, she’s hoping to show other young Muslim girls, they can play sport and respect their faith.
“I know that now that I’m a role model, and an inspiration, specially to the Muslim females out there,” she said. “I’m showing them that you can do anything in the hijab to follow your dreams. It’s important to show them that to go outside and be active.
“A lot of people don’t feel comfortable going out there in the hijab. They feel like they don’t want to play sports or anything because people are going to look at them funny or how they dress.
“Now they see me on a public stage doing what I love and participating in sport and showing them that anything is possible and who really cares what people think of you.”
Rahimi is one of five Aussie boxers already guaranteed to win medals in Birmingham after advancing to the semi-finals.
Kaye Scott, a retained dancer who won a bronze medal in welterweight at the last Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in 2018, is through to the light middleweight semis against Alcinda Panguana of Mozambique.
At 38, she’s hinted this will be her last Commonwealth Games so she wants to gout a winner.
“I’m an old girl – but I’m still beating all the young ones and getting the top spot so it’s another kind of stereotype I’m trying to break,” she said.
Caitlin Parker, the silver medallist in middleweight at the Gold Coast, is also through to the last four in her division, where she faces Tammara Thibeault of Canada.
Australia has two men through to the medal rounds.
Teenage middleweight Callum Peters has been very impressive so far and will fight South Africa’s Simnikwe Bongco – unfazed that he’s one of the youngest fighters at the Games.
“Young and handsome, you mean!” he told reporters. “This is an amazing opportunity and I want to make it count. I’m looking for gold.”
Australian heavyweight Edgardo Coumi tackles Lewis Hamilton of England, knowing his opponent will have the crowd support.
Australian boxers through to Commonwealth Games semi-finals
More Coverage
Originally published as Commonwealth Games 2022: Callum Peters and Kaye Scott lose gold medal matches
‘Portfolio of events’: World Netball reveals plans for more World Cups
World Netball holds its showcase event once every four years, but knows this is too long between drinks. Its president opens up on future event plans, the Commonwealth Games, Brisbane Olympics and more.
Biggest loser from Comm Games revamp
Cricket’s future in a more “sustainable” Commonwealth Games is murky as other sports also face the chop in a streamlined format.