New Zealand light welterweight Mark Robinson suffered the narrowest of losses on the opening day of the Commonwealth boxing championships Glasgow, Scotland this morning (NZ time).
North Harbour's Robinson lost a fluctuating bout against a South African opponent on points, 18-19.
He started slowly against his tall, awkward opponent and trailed 5-8 after the first round.
Robinson stormed back into the fight in the second to grab a 12-11 advantage and the scores were locked 17-17 after three rounds.
With both boxers showing the strains of a hectic contest the South African sneaked home to take the bout by a single point 19-18.
Coach Henry Schuster was pleased with the efforts of Robinson against a top class opponent.
Meanwhile, the draw has done New Zealand middleweight Justin Potter no favours when he enters the ring tomorrow.
His opponent is Englishman James Degale who is world ranked and a hot favourite for the gold medal.
The news at the draw was better today for super heavyweight Greg Weenink, who is guaranteed at least a silver medal.
While four boxers were originally entered in the division, just two fronted at the weigh-in scales.
- NZPA
Boxing: Opening loss for Robinson at champs
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