2023 Pacific Games boxing: Harry Garside cruises through to semi-finals
With Paris 2024 Olympic quotas available to secure for each category winner, Australia's boxers dominated Day Two's quarter-finals on 28 November in Solomon Islands.
Boxing
Australian boxing star Harry Garside is safely through to the semi-finals at the 2023 Pacific Games.
The Tokyo 2020 63.5kg bronze medallist dominated Papua New Guinea's John Ume in Solomon Islands' Friendship Hall to secure a unanimous decision victory on Tuesday (27 November).
"It was good to get the nerves out of the way, I knew it was going to be one of the harder fights here," Garside, who will now compete in the final four, told SBS Sport.
"He was the last Pacific Games champion and I fought him at the Olympic Games in my first fight there.
"He definitely didn't make it easy for me, he caught me with a few big overhands and he's a big puncher ... I felt like I executed my game plan really well so happy to get the first win out of the way and now two more (fights) to go."
Garside's compatriots Yusuf Chothia, Shannon Davey, and Teremoana Teremoana also tasted quarter-final success in the 51kg, 71kg, and 92+kg divisions respectively.
Elsewhere, it was another big day for the Solomon Islands boxers, with Maximillian Brechthefield Makana, Ryan Gavin (both 60kg), and Pemberton Lele (63.5), all winning their quarter-final bouts.
For the first time, boxing at the Pacific Games is being used as an Olympic qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The winners of each weight division will secure their nation's quota.
Where to watch the 2023 Pacific Games
Boxing at the 2023 Pan American Games takes place 28 November-2 December.
Here is a selected list of broadcasters for the Sol2023 Games:
- Australia – SBS, NITV
- Solomon Islands – SIBC TV, TTV
- New Caledonia, Tahiti (French Polynesia), Wallis and Futuna – France Télévisions
- Papua New Guinea – NBC
- Fiji – Fiji TV
- Samoa – SBC TV1
- Vanuatu – VBTC
- Tonga – Tonga Broadcasting Corporation