Even tough guys cry. Luke Campbell joined female flyweight Nicola Adams as an Olympic champion. The 24-year-old from Hull fought the contest of his life to hold off swarming Irishman John Joe Nevin last night and claim Britain's first bantamweight gold in more than a century. In what has been the most successful Olympics for British boxers since Melbourne in 1956, Campbell scored frequently and decisively against an opponent he knows well but whose performances in this tournament have been sharp and exciting. In front from the start, Campbell had a lead of 5-3 after the first round, showing a clarity of punching that was to improve as the bout progressed, notably with the smart use of a left hook and his southpaw jab.
A storming second round saw Nevin come out more aggressively, catching Campbell with a neat right cross, but the Briton remained unruffled, one point ahead at 9-8. What clinched it for him was a cracking right in the third which caught the Irishman flush on the temple, sending him tottering down for the Brazilian referee to administer a statutory standing count of eight. Such knockdowns are worth only one point but the advantage was sufficient to give Campbell the confidence he needed to take the bout at 14-11. It was a result that bought tears of joy to him and no complaint from 23-year-old Nevin, an Irish traveller who had hoped to emulate his female compatriot Katie Taylor by becoming an Olympic champion.
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