Simon Vallily
Encyclopedia
Simon Vallily is an English amateur boxer fighting in the 91 kg Heavyweight category. He is a member of the England elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in Delhi.
, Vallily was formerly on the books of Middlesbrough Football Club
until disciplinary issues meant that his career in football ended prematurely. Vallily claimed that he started boxing after getting into trouble when he was a kid, and that what he would be doing if he were not boxing would be "not worth thinking about". In February 2006, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison following a knife attack. Halfway into his sentence he was released and started to concentrate on his boxing career.
in Delhi. Picked at the 91kg Heavyweight
category, Vallily fought his way to the final, defeating Dominic Winrow of the Isle of Man
in the first round, Arsene Foukou of Cameroon
in the quarter-finals and gaining a walkover against Awusone Yekeni
of Ghana
in the semifinals. In the final he claimed the gold medal with a first round stoppage over Northern Ireland's Steven Ward after knocking him to the canvas, having quickly established a 6-1 lead. Speaking of Vallily's performance, coach Rob McCracken said "He's frighteningly good. We've got two years to work with him and there's a real possibility he could win the Olympics".
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi.
Amateur career
Fighting for the South Bank Amateur boxing club in MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, Vallily was formerly on the books of Middlesbrough Football Club
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
until disciplinary issues meant that his career in football ended prematurely. Vallily claimed that he started boxing after getting into trouble when he was a kid, and that what he would be doing if he were not boxing would be "not worth thinking about". In February 2006, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison following a knife attack. Halfway into his sentence he was released and started to concentrate on his boxing career.
Domestic honours
In 2009, competing in the super heavyweight division, Vallily won the senior ABA title in Sheffield at the English Institute of Sport, beating Amin Isa 13-4. Despite touching the canvas himself, the victory included a knockdown of his opponent in the third round. Speaking of the win and of the fact that he himself had taken a count, Vallily said, "Getting caught gave me a kick up the backside and got me going". Reflecting on the turnaround in his life since being sentenced to jail in 2006 Vallily said, "I've changed since those days and I'm an ABA champion now...All that is behind me and I don't like to look back - I was just a daft kid...I want to look to the future. I'm grown up now and more focused and this is just the start". On 13 November 2010, Vallily was crowned the Great Britain champion after defeating experienced rival Danny Price 4-3 in the tournament held in Liverpool's Echo Arena and televised by the BBC.Commonwealth Games
Vallily was part of the England team that competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi. Picked at the 91kg Heavyweight
Boxing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Heavyweight
The Heavyweight class is an event on the Boxing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games competition. Heavyweights were limited to those boxers weighing less than 91 kilograms . 17 boxers competed....
category, Vallily fought his way to the final, defeating Dominic Winrow of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
in the first round, Arsene Foukou of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
in the quarter-finals and gaining a walkover against Awusone Yekeni
Awusone Yekeni
Awusone Yekeni is a Ghanaian amateur boxer best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games at heavyweight 201lbs limit.-Career:...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
in the semifinals. In the final he claimed the gold medal with a first round stoppage over Northern Ireland's Steven Ward after knocking him to the canvas, having quickly established a 6-1 lead. Speaking of Vallily's performance, coach Rob McCracken said "He's frighteningly good. We've got two years to work with him and there's a real possibility he could win the Olympics".