The crowd at Glasgow's boxing venue fell silent when Refiloe Thai hit the canvas. But the atmosphere quickly shifted from shock to celebration when Thai rose to his feet, drawing relieved applause from the gallery. Welsh boxer Orlando Holley-Sotomi had just delivered one of the most brutal knockouts seen in amateur boxing — and he did it in just 68 seconds.
The Newport fighter had spent time studying his opponent's weaknesses before stepping into the ring. "Watching tape of my opponent, he was open to my backhand," Holley-Sotomi said. "My backhand is one of my best shots so I didn't hesitate, I just used it." The thunderous straight right hand, followed by a left hook, sent Lesotho's Thai to the canvas. When the referee raised Holley-Sotomi's hand in victory, it marked the end of a remarkable hour for Welsh boxing.
Holley-Sotomi was far from the only Welsh fighter making waves that afternoon. Three of his teammates also guaranteed themselves medals at the Commonwealth Games. Defending champion Rosie Eccles stopped Samukelisiwe Sinothisiwe Ncube in the second round of the women's 70kg category. Owain Harris-Allan won unanimously on points against home favourite Nick Devlin. And super heavyweight Connor Williams completed the quartet, joining his teammates in the medal rounds.
In Commonwealth Games boxing, losing semi-finalists automatically earn bronze medals — meaning all four Welsh boxers were guaranteed to leave Glasgow with something to show for their work. But they weren't satisfied with bronze. Friday, 30 July gave them the chance to upgrade their medal colours before finals the following day.
The four boxers from Wales trained together, pushed each other daily, and now find themselves on the cusp of something special. Whether or not they claimed gold, they had already proven that Welsh boxing is a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.