Double joy in Dublin for the deadly Hussain boxing brothers

Jacob Hussain (15, 57kg) and Zayne Hussain (13, 46kg) both won gold medals at the prestigious open-class Emerald Box Cup in the Irish capital.

Zayne Hussain was first into action in a semi-final, where he faced Bernard Doyle from Portlaoise Boxing Club. From the opening bell, he was in control. He produced slick counter-punching and demonstrated impressive ring craft and mature ring control beyond his years. All three rounds were comfortably dictated by Hussain, earning him his place in the final.

Waiting for him was a familiar opponent in Tommy Loughlin from Sacra Coeur Boxing Club, whom Hussain had previously defeated in the Monkstown Box Cup and last year’s Wexford Box Cup.

From the first bell, Hussain showed exactly why he deserved his place in the final. His confidence was evident as he controlled the distance and dictated the pace, while Loughlin struggled to deal with Hussain’s movement and repeatedly walked onto his back hand.

Hussain’s ring skills caused problems throughout the contest, with his superior fitness, experience and composure seeing him take control of every round to win another impressive gold medal.

Jacob Hussain was next into the ring, facing an up-and-coming Dublin boxer, Munyaradzi Chiwara of Flow Boxing Academy, in his semi-final.

Chiwara looked the bigger boy and had a large home crowd behind him, but none of that fazed Hussain.

When the bell rang, Chiwara came forward aggressively, throwing wild shots. Hussain remained composed, using his footwork to evade the attacks before cutting the ring off and denying his opponent the space he needed to work.

Having comfortably won the opening round, Hussain began to take further control. He landed powerful triple jabs before quickly stepping out of range, repeatedly forcing Chiwara into mistakes.

The referee eventually intervened following a second eight-count, bringing the contest to an end in the second round, with Hussain earning a stoppage victory to book his place in the final.

The final presented another tough challenge, with Hussain facing local favourite Evan Reilly of Claremorris Boxing Club, an older boxer born in 2010 with considerable experience.

Despite the home support behind his opponent, Hussain remained composed and confident. Once inside the ring, Hussain simply boxed. There was no showboating — just a disciplined performance that demonstrated why he belonged at this level.

In the opening round, Hussain landed a remarkable 14 consecutive shots without receiving a count from the referee. It was clear from that moment that he would have to work all the way to the final bell.

Hussain continued to land clean shots and repeatedly backed Reilly onto the ropes, applying constant pressure and giving his opponent little opportunity to breathe or escape.

Rounds two and three followed a similar pattern. Hussain’s exceptional fitness and work rate continued to shine through, while Reilly began to struggle with his movement and defence and, despite the contest going the full distance, there was little doubt about the winner. Hussain won the final unanimously to bring home another gold medal.

The brothers attend Jack Hunt School in the city and box out of the Pound 4 Pound Boxing Academy in Walsall.