Commonwealth Games 2026: Sensational day for England as six guarantee medals
July 28, 2026 | by Chris Boyd
Team England enjoyed a sensational day at the SEC Arena in Glasgow, with six boxers booking their places in the Commonwealth Games semi-finals to guarantee themselves at least a bronze medal.
Lauren Mackie continued her impressive start to the tournament by opening the day’s action for the third time, facing Wales’ Helen Jones in the women’s under 54kg division.
The Burton Park boxer controlled proceedings from the opening bell, repeatedly finding success with her left cross to earn a unanimous decision victory. Having become the first boxer to compete at Glasgow 2026, Mackie also became the first to guarantee herself a medal: “I’m buzzing.
“It’s great to be able to put on a good display of boxing with a great opponent in there and get the win. The goal is definitely gold, but it is a bonus at the moment. Each fight at a time, get that silver, and then get that gold.”
Ellis Trowbridge was next into the ring, taking on Ghana’s Amadu Mohammed in an all-southpaw battle for a place in the under 55kg semi-finals.
After a measured start, the Surbiton boxer settled into the contest and enjoyed success as he found his range. However, after three competitive rounds, the judges awarded Mohammed a 4-1 split decision.
The evening session brought a wave of success for Team England, beginning with Lucy Kings-Wheatley’s dramatic victory over Sierra Leone’s Josefien Betist.
The Acocks Green boxer overcame a point deduction in the second round to edge a tense contest 3-2 on the judges’ scorecards, showing tremendous resilience to progress to the last four.
Momentum continued moments later as Sacha Hickey made a winning Commonwealth Games debut against India’s Parveen Parveen.
Despite waiting almost a week to begin her campaign, the Fisher ABC boxer looked composed throughout, taking control of the opening two rounds before withstanding a late rally to secure her semi-final place: “It was an amazing experience. Ever since I stepped foot in the gym, my coach has always told me, you want to get to the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.
“I’m quite a laidback character, so when I walk out sometimes it feels like I’m down for a spar, but tonight I definitely felt the crowd behind me. Glasgow has been amazing so far, and I’m just looking forward to the rest of the tournament.”
Mary-Kate Smith then earned a memorable victory over Nigeria’s Patricia Mbata in the women’s under 75kg division.
Having narrowly lost to Mbata in previous meetings, the Hook & Jab boxer dictated the opening round before being pegged back in the second. With everything to fight for in the final round, Smith dug deep to claim victory and finally gain revenge over her long-time rival: “That one was very special to me. We’ve had some close fights in the past.
“Patricia hits hard, and I didn’t always know where they were coming from, but I gritted my teeth, and I wanted it more today, and I got it. I’m ecstatic, I feel so good.”
Patris Mughalzai ensured the winning run continued with a composed display against Uganda’s Nuhu Batte.
Although Batte applied constant pressure throughout the contest, the Powerday Hooks boxer showed his quality, overcoming a second-round point deduction to secure a 3-2 split decision and move into the medal stages.
Team England rounded off a memorable day through heavyweight Isaac Okoh, who made a statement on his Commonwealth Games debut against Australia’s Lachlan Lawson.
After a stop-start opening round, Okoh found his rhythm, establishing his powerful back hand and controlling the remainder of the contest to seal a unanimous decision victory and complete a remarkable day for the team.
Reflecting on the success enjoyed by the squad, Okoh said: “Everyone is behind everyone.
“Everyone gets on with everyone; we’re all like a little family. There are some amazing people and some amazing boxers. Everyone is doing well, and we’ve got some medals in the bag.
“We’re going to push on tomorrow and hopefully win more, and everyone is going to get behind each other.”
Wednesday, 29th Schedule:
Women’s, U51kg Quarterfinal: Angel Katushabe (Uganda) vs Ruby White – 6pm
Women’s, U57kg Quarterfinal: Elise Glynn vs Jaismine Jaismine – 6.30pm
Women’s, U70kg Quarterfinal: Jansseen Hill (Northern Ireland) vs Chantelle Reid – 7.15pm
Men’s, U80kg Quarterfinal: Dimeji Shittu vs Robert Okaka (Kenya) – 8.30pm
Men’s, +90kg Quarterfinal: Aziz Abdul (Uganda) vs Damar Thomas – 9.15pm
Keep up to date with everything Team England boxing-related at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games by visiting our dedicated webpage here.
