I turned down Love Island – now I’m a Commonwealth Games boxing champion

The Belfast brawler pulled out of the application process for this year’s series of the reality TV show after punching his ticket to the Games – and finished top of the podium

Pretty-boy boxer Jon McConnell coupled up with a Commonwealth Games gold medal – and told Love Island bosses to give him another call.

The Belfast brawler pulled out of the application process for this year’s series of the reality TV show after punching his ticket to the Games. He made it through the initial application and then an online call with TV boffins, before being offered an in-person interview with execs in London, alongside his Northern Ireland teammate Kaci Rock.

But the duo chose right hooks in Glasgow over hook-ups in the Mallorca sun – and McConnell admits his gold medal vindicates the choice.

“If I had of got through the first round maybe I’d have thought I didn’t make the right decision, but I’ve got the gold medal now,” he said. “I can put that on my CV now – Commonwealth Games gold medallist. If they want to reach out, they have my number.”

McConnell claimed gold by beating Wales’ Orlando Holley-Sotomi via a split decision. The 23-year-old won Northern Ireland’s only boxing gold of the Games following defeats for Michaela Walsh and Rock.

Four judges scored the bout in his favour, while one sided with the Welshman, and McConnell said he has been manifesting his big moment since he was a kid.

“It doesn’t feel real,” he said. “It’s been a goal since I was eight or nine years of age. I worked for it every day, and the hard work paid off with a Commonwealth Games gold medal.

“I was confident, I thought I landed cleaner shots, but it was nip and tuck. He’s a quality lad. It was like the bull and the matador and I’m the matador and I won the day, thank God.”

Rock came closer to joining her teammate on the top step but was soundly beaten by England’s Sacha Hickey.

“It is something I never thought I would have done a couple of months ago. To be here and be on the podium is a massive achievement,” she said after the welterweight final.

“A lot of people might have doubted me coming into this competition, and in the final there wasn’t a huge amount in the fight, and I gave the best version of me.”

Meanwhile, Michaela Walsh won the third Commonwealth Games silver of her career after losing to reigning world champion Jaismine Lamboria of India in the women’s featherweight final. Walsh won flyweight silver in 2014, featherweight silver in 2018 and then bagged gold in the same category in Birmingham. But the 33-year-old was outclassed by Lamboria in Glasgow.

“It was a really close fight,” she said. “She was 3-2 ahead after the first round and then obviously she was three-up with the judges going into the last round.

“I felt it was level going into the last round, but you have to take a few more risks in the last round and I was getting caught by a few shots. Had it been level going into that round, I maybe wouldn’t have taken those risks. But I felt it was a great fight; I was in it the whole way and the judges just veered towards her a little more today.”

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