The Gee Bee Tournament in Helsinki, Finland, is one of the key fixtures on the amateur boxing calendar — a proving ground where Britain’s brightest prospects go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best, testing themselves on the international stage. This year once again, the GB Boxing squad left a lasting impression with a dominant collective display, even being named the tournament’s Best Team.
With a total of seven medals, five of them gold, Team GB deservedly walked away with the honorary trophy for the best team of the competition. Leading the charge was Kelsey Oakley (51kg), who cemented her dominance by retaining her title in a hard-fought final against Finland’s Elsa Narhi. It was a tight contest decided by a split decision (3:2), with the young English boxer defending her crown in Helsinki for a second consecutive year. Oakley had kicked off her campaign with a win over Czech fighter Claudia Totova, before advancing to the final courtesy of a semi-final walkover.
Sameenah Toussaint (57kg) followed a similar path. After progressing to the final without stepping into the ring, her semi-final opponent, France’s Sthelyne Grosy, was forced to withdraw, she edged out the talented Dutch youngster Gabriella Weerheim in another close-fought bout (3:2). Weerheim had impressed by eliminating Olivia Holmes in the previous round, but the boxer from northwest London dug deep and sealed victory in the final round.
In the men’s events, Will Hewitt (60kg) clinched his first gold medal as a GB Boxer with three composed performances. He first overcame compatriot Isa Akram, then dispatched Germany’s Mohamed Siala, before putting on a clinic in the final against Dutchman Mahmoud El Chabtoun, winning unanimously on all scorecards.
For Royal Marines boxer Kyle Shaw-Tullin (75kg), his first outing in a GB vest couldn’t have gone much better. After beating Finland’s Benjamin Eriksson (4:1), and progressing past Frenchman Hassana El Qadmi via injury, he produced a dominant display in the final to defeat Australia’s Linkyn Macmillan and take gold in style.
Finally, Teagn Stott (85kg) endured a stop-start route to the top of the podium. After receiving a bye in the quarter-finals, he advanced through a shortened semi-final when Australia’s Lachlan Lawson suffered an injury. The final was called off before it began, with Lithuanian opponent Arnas Kazakevicius pulling out at the last moment. While it meant gold for Stott, the lack of in-ring action left him understandably wanting more, and he’ll be eager to get back between the ropes soon to truly showcase his potential.
Two bronze medals rounded off a strong British showing, for Olivia Holmes in the -57kg category and Scott Richards at -51kg. There was disappointment, however, for Aaron Cullen, Isa Akram, Sonny Kerr and Callum Makin, all of whom exited the tournament before the semi-final stage.
