Peter McGrail has brought home a bronze medal from the European Games.
The 23-year-old Everton Red Triangle man represented Team GB at the tournament in Minsk, Belarus.
McGrail, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist who beat the same opponent in that showpiece last year on the Gold Coast, outpointed Ireland’s Kurt Walker on points in the 56kg bantamweight category.
It was a 3-2 split-decision win for Walker, the fourth-seed fighter, against the number one seed.
McGrail, who won on points by a margin of 5:0 against Belgium’s Vasile Usturoi in the preliminary round before securing a win against Albania’s Krenar Zeneli by the same margin in the quarter-final and ultimately losing to Ward in the semi-finals, reacted to his controversial defeat on social media shortly afterwards.
He said: “A big thanks for all the messages from everyone who watched that fight then. [That’s] amateur boxing for you. [I] will be bringing a bronze medal back to Liverpool, sorry it’s not a gold.
“It’s all about the Tokyo Olympics in 2020,” McGrail continued. “[And I’d] rather [the controversy] happen here than there.”
