Moylett: How I did it

1 December 2008 – by Ray Moylett

Preliminaries

Jefferson Silva (Brazil) 21-2

The first fella was a Brazilian and theres not going to be too many handy fights coming from South America, theyre all going to be strong, good punchers. I beat him 21-2 and that was great for the confidence, to build it up. My goal over there was just to win a fight in the World Championships, that was it. And I won that fight, and I thought Hang on here, I could be on to something

Last 16

Fred Evans (Wales) 11-8

And after I beat Evans in the next fight, the European champion, it got better. I had sparred him in the Stadium before we went out and I had a bit of a gameplan going in. Nothing major, but it worked. He was a counter-puncher, hed be taller than me and hed have longer arms. So I had to have a high guard, and wait for him. And then pounce and throw a load of punches at once. He liked to box and move around, but I ground him down.

Quarter Final

Juan Garcia (Cuba) 10-2

Id be a fighter really rather than a boxer, Id do what I have to do. But out there I was a fighter and that was the style that worked. I was fighting the Cuban for a medal. You were always brought up with the Cubans as the best, and youd be afraid of them, but then I went in there and beat him by eight points. If anything, though, Id say it was the hardest fight. He was a boxer and I was a fighter, it was a clash of styles really and I came out on top. I think I was the stronger, he threw a lot more punches and on paper he might have whipped it, but I worked the points system out so that worked to my advantage. I studied it throughout the Olympics, I noticed the people who were winning had my sort of style and so then I said, well, Well try this out here. I wasnt out the first day, so I watched a lot of it and sure enough thats the way it was going by the second day.

Semi Final

Aliaksei Haletisch (Belarus) 5-2

I thought I was going to beat him by more than I did, he took me by surprise. He had all handy fights, well not handy, but easier fights to get to that semi. But he was very strong, the strongest opponent I faced out there. To be in the final, even to have a medal, it was such a relief, more than anything. You knew inside.

Final

Daniyar Yelussino (Kazakhstan) 3-1

The Kazakh was a former World Champion. Well I dont care it was low-scoring. I wasnt going in to please the crowd, that was all tactical, that fight. Probably the worst fight ever to watch, but I did what I had to do to beat him. Anytime I hit him my coaches Jim Moore and Jim Payne would let out a roar. For a scoring point. And theyd be shouting in the score, or to run or go forward. Youd know then before the bell, but you wouldnt get the feeling because anything can happen in a minute. But I knew I was ahead come the end of the fight. Some feeling. Out there for three and a half weeks, intensive training for two of them. And to come home and be the champion of the world. My hands were ripping with sweat, my palms, I couldnt hold onto anything, my heart was in my mouth. Id won the gold medal, thats the dream fulfilled for now!

Ray Moylett was talking to Kevin Byrne