By Rawle Toney in Birmingham
KEEVIN ALLICOCK was smooth, elegant and cruised his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Sri Lanka’s Jeewantha Nisshanka in his Men’s Featherweight Round-of-16 bout yesterday at the Commonwealth Games.

Allicock’s victory puts him into tomorrow’s quarter-finals against Keoma-Ali Al-Ahmadieh of Canada.

The former Youth Commonwealth Games silver medallist had an impressive start to his second Commonwealth Games when he opened with a unanimous decision win against Okoth Okongo of Kenya.

“I really wasn’t 100 percent in my first fight,” Allicock said in an exclusive interview after receiving a standing ovation from the almost capacity-filled Boxing Hall at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Allicock was right.

Against Nisshanka, Allicock looked laser-focused. He didn’t show any emotions, only reacting to the directions given by his coach, Sebert Blake.

It was as if the Guyanese pugilist was programmed and his only mission was to get rid of Nisshanka.

The Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym boxer had an almost perfect score in his bout, only for Trinidadian Judge, James Beckles, to give Nisshanka the nod (9-10) in the second round.

Thanking God for his victory, Allicock said “I really don’t have a plan; God is my plan. So I went in with confidence knowing that I was going to be victorious.”

“In my first fight, I wasn’t comfortable, but I was happy with the unanimous victory. In this fight though, God has given me more strength and I’m grateful for the victory. I picked my shots and controlled the fight,” Allicock said.

A tearful Allicock pointed to the hard work done with Coach Blake, and even that of his own at Space 2.0, but he insisted, “It’s not just the work that got me here, it’s the prayers.”

Allicock and Desmond Amsterdam are one win away from securing Guyana’s first boxing medal at the Commonwealth Games in 32 years.

Asked about replicating or bettering Wesley Christmas’ performance in 1990, Allicock said “We’re trusting God to give us the strength to press forward and make Guyana proud always.

Amsterdam, making his Commonwealth Games debut, will step into the ring tomorrow against Australia’s Callum Peters in the quarter-finals of the Men’s Middleweight Division.