Australia’s wait for a Commonwealth boxing champion is over, with Jye Dixon stepping up in the Bantamweight final as Jacob Cassar claimed silver in the very next bout.
Australia had not tasted gold in the ring since the nation’s home Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, when Harry Garside claimed glory in the 60kg weight division.
And it looked like the green and gold would have to wait a little longer as a split decision gave the first round to Dixon’s Indian opponent, J.S. Mandengbam, against the flow of the fight.
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However, the 21-year-old’s elite timing on the counter came to the fore, and as the Indian young gun continued to walk into Dixon’s left hand, he was able to take control.
Mandengbam started the third and final round with a brilliant flurry of combinations that broke the Aussie’s guard and landed a huge blow to the face, but Dixon fired back.
He didn’t look nearly as good going toe-to-toe with his Indian foe, but as soon as he reverted to striking off the back foot, he regained control, taking a unanimous victory on the scorecards.
Dixon went through the competition the hard way, having to win three fights to make the final, including a semifinal over Ghana’s Mohammed Amadu, while some only had to fight twice.
Cassar appeared outclassed from the moment he entered the ring against Russian-Born English fighter Patris Mughalzai.
Jye Dixon of Team Australia walks out for the Men’s 55kg Final Bout against Jadumani Singh Mandengbam. Credit: James Fearn/Getty Images
He took the opposite approach to Dixon, taking the fight to his opponent.
However, Mughalzai’s speed on the counter and ability to throw rapid, accurate combinations blew the Australian away.
Cassar entered the final round needing to knock out his 24-year-old opponent, but despite switching to a Southpaw stance, he couldn’t make a dent on the Englishman, who added to England’s reputation as the most dominant Commonwealth nation in Boxing.
