Welsh boxing twins won't fight each other because their mum 'won't speak to them again' if they do

Boxers Ioan and Garan Croft are medal hopefuls for Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Credit: PA

Welsh boxing twins have said they will not fight each other, because their mum will "never speak to them again" if they do.

Boxers Ioan and Garan Croft fight in different weight categories to avoid upsetting their mum.

The 21-year-olds from Crymych are just some of the medal hopefuls for Team Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Since taking up the sport at Cardigan ABC, the pair have already achieved sporting success representing both Wales and Team GB in recent years - both claiming silver medals at the Under-22 European Boxing Championships in Croatia in March.

Fighting in the senior men's level for the first time, the brothers also brought home medals European Amateur Boxing Championships in Armenia in May.

The pair fight in different weight categories to avoid upsetting their mum. Credit: PA

Ioan, fighting in the welterweight class, came home with a bronze medal, while light-middleweight Garan won a silver medal, losing out to English rival and fellow GB boxer Harris Akbar in the final.

In an interview, Ioan explained: "I’m comfortable at light middleweight, but I know Garan prefers to fight at that weight."

"We do everything together. Training, travelling, living, eating. The only thing we haven’t done is box competitively against each other. That’s one thing that will never happen because our mum will never speak to us again!"

Garan added: "To be fair, I would still fight at light middleweight if I didn’t have a twin! But because we fight at different weights, we will never face each other in the boxing ring. And that means we can both go to the Commonwealth Games."

The two are part of the nine-strong Team Wales boxing group.

Coach Zack Davies, who represented Wales at the Delhi Games in 2014, said: "I’ve trained Ioan and Garan from the off. They were juniors in the squad back then, just young boys. They are a bit special. They have something about them, the drive and the determination.

"They know what they want and they put the work in. They’ve experienced a lot, coming through the youth and junior levels. They are seniors now and I’m proud to see what they’ve done and to see them do so well. They are nice boys and very humble."

Welsh boxing will hope to build on the success from the Gold Coast in 2018 where Lauren Price and Sammy Lee both won gold medals, while Rosie Eccles took silver and Mickey McDonagh claimed a bronze medal.

Ioan said: "Hearing the national anthem in Birmingham will be incredible. I remember watching the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and four years down the line, here we are, and we have a chance to show everyone what we can do. I think both of us are good enough to win at the Games."

Garan added: "There’s something within us that wants to win. Thinking about going home empty-handed, without a medal or without winning, just feels like a waste of time, and that feeling motivates us to do well."