Paul Trainor has opened Australia’s Commonwealth Games boxing campaign with a win that had the hosts fuming.
The referee stopped the 80kg fight with 37 seconds left in the second round because of injury, after Trainor had knocked out Scot Alan Perrie’s mouthguard.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Booed Aussie sticks it to Glasgow crowd after irate host’s ‘bitter’ snub
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There had been an earlier stoppage in the round so a doctor could look at the inside of Perrie’s mouth.
Perrie was furious with the decision, pointing to his head immediately after the stoppage to indicate a head clash, and did not even wait for the announcer to confirm Trainor as the winner before walking away from the referee and leaving the arena.
The crowd, who had cheered their boxer and booed Trainor as they entered the ring, were even louder with their boos when the fight was called.
Perrie twice snubbed Trainor’s attempted handshakes after the bout.
Trainor got nothing from Perrie afterwards. Credit: AAP “I understand — it’s months of sacrifice … it would be bitter for him. I understand that emotions run high,” Trainor said after his successful Games debut bout.
“All is fair in love and war.
“It feels awesome to start Australia off with a win. I’m sure there will be more to come.
“The aim is gold, so I need four more wins.”
Trainor knew Perrie would come out hard and sure enough, the judges had the Scot ahead 4-1 after round one.
But the Australian found his range in the second round and ended the bout with flecks of Perrie’s blood on his new shoes and uniform.
“He came out hot … which we knew was going to happen. I feel like I managed to use it against him a little bit,” Trainor, 24, said.
“In the second round, I started to find that left hand, right hook and as you saw, his mouthguard was coming out and he was very bloody.
“Obviously I wanted to keep fighting and I wanted to keep going, but a win’s a win and I will take it — so a win by any means necessary.”
Trainor found his range before the referee ended his bout early. Credit: AAP Trainor was not surprised the bout ended early, but thought it might go into the third round.
“I definitely felt like it was only going to get worse,” he said.
“I know he’s a nice kid — we were sparring together a couple of weeks ago in Belfast. It’s definitely not the way you want to be ending a fight in front of your home crowd.
“So I understand emotions can be high. All respect to him.”
While the crowd was pro-Perrie, there was also strong support for the Australian.
His parents moved from the Irish village of Draperstown, population about 2000, in County Derry to Australia before he was born.
His Mum and Dad and sister, plus friends and family from Australia and Ireland, are in Glasgow to support Trainor.
“It means the world to me, I feel like I could just hear them. I heard the boos and then I can hear my Mum and my sister and my Dad and my uncles,” he said.
“I knew I had to do it for them, that’s why I came out in that second round a little bit faster and managed to force the stoppage.”