Jude Gallagher takes gold at the Commonwealth Games

Newtownstewart’s Jude Gallagher has been crowned Commonwealth champion in what will go down in history as a momentous day for Tyrone boxing.

Gallagher impressed throughout the past nine days in Birmingham, winning a new band of fans thanks to his impressive boxing skills, including Chairman of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn.

The Tyrone Tornado was scheduled to fight Joseph Commey of Ghana in the final tonight (Sunday), however, after his opponent was forced to pull out, Gallagher became the champion.

It is believed that Commey came down with a fever and was rushed to the Games Village for medical attention after he lost consciousness.

This may not have been the exact way 20-year-old had envisaged clinching the gold, however, the way he conducted his Commonwealth campaign to date had many convinced that the Two Castles featherweight could not be beaten in this tournamament.

Gllagher began his campaign on Saturday of last week in the last-32 with a confident victory over Eswatini‘s Zweli Comfort Dlamini.

Dlamini landed some big shots during the contest but a fierce body punch from Gallagher in the final round saw him reassert control as the Tyrone man secured a unanimous win after controlling all three rounds.

He followed up that impressive Commonwealth Games debut performance with an even more eye-catching outing on Monday of last week against hometown favourite, Niall Farrell.

Coming up against a fighter four years his senior and in that opponent’s backyard should have been a tough assignment, but the Tyrone man wasn’t phased in the slightest.

The Two Castles club man, who was booed on his way to the ring, was keen to play the role of party-pooper and early in the first round he rocked the 24 year-old Englishman with a rapid right hand, which forced a standing count.

He then unleashed a barrage of shots to the head and body before catching his foe with another vicious right that led to a second standing count and with the referee unconvinced Farrell could continue, the fight was stopped, much to the Birmingham fighter’s chagrin.

That victory sent Gallagher into the quarter-finals where produced another controlled but dominant performance to claim a unanimous decision against Pakistani fighter, Ilyas Hussain.

And on Saturday he was looking forward to a semi-final encounter against Keoma-Ali Al-Ahmiadieh only for the Canadian to pull out, gifting Gallagher a walkover into the final against Commey.

Unfortunately, due to Commey’s ongoing medical issues, Gallagher was not able to put the cherry on top of his Commonwealth cake.

However, the three boxing masterclasses which Gallagher produced when he did step into the ring in Birmingham will be the legacy by which his Commwealth Campaign will be remembered.

A homecoming party of epic proportions almost certainly awaits the Tyrone Tornado when he arrives home to Newtownstewart with the Commonwealth gold adorning his breast.