YOG 2010: Davies outclassed but still has an eye on bronze

From Tom Reynolds, Sportsbeat, in Singapore

 BANTAMWEIGHT Zack Davies insists a bronze medal would be the perfect antidote to his emphatic semi-final defeat at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

WAYWARD: Zach Davies (R) throws a punch but Shiva Thapa is too quick for the Welsh bantamweight (Singapore Press Holdings)

The 18-year-old was outclassed 14-4 by India's Shiva Thapa, but was up against it from the first bell with some questionable judging not helping his cause.

In what appeared a closely fought first round, the judges awarded it 5-1 in favour of Thapa, ensuring Davies had a mountain to climb in Singapore.

 "I am pretty disappointed because I would have loved to have got into the final but the guy I fought was a good boy and he boxed well," said Davies.

"I felt like the scoring was a bit off sometimes and he got quite a big lead early on and that made it hard from then. 

"He had a four point lead at the end of the first round and I thought that round was quite close really.

"It was a fair result and he deserved to win but it made it very hard for me after the first round because then I had to try and chase it a bit.

"That meant in the final round that he was able to pick me off a bit because I was having to do things that I wouldn't normally do."

Davies always knew he would be hard pushed to overcome Thapa, a world youth silver medallist, as well as Cuba's Robeisy Eloy Ramirez, who beat the Indian boxer to world youth gold.

And Davies is adamant he will quickly forget about Sunday's defeat and focus all his attentions on packing a punch in his bronze medal clash with David Michelus of Poland on Tuesday.

"I have got to put the defeat behind me now and focus on my bronze medal fight on Tuesday and try and come back and fight well in that," he added.

 "If I could go home with a bronze medal it would be amazing for me."

  Lloyds TSB, proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supporter of Team GB on their journey to the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games. Visit LloydsTSB.com/London2012