AMATEUR boxer Greg Bridet was unable to claim a win on his Great Britain debut, being beaten on points by home boxer Tom Honka in the semi-finals of the Tammer Tournament.

The Eastrop heavyweight travelled to Tampere, in Finland, for the annual event, but had to wait to make his bow after being given a bye through to the semi-finals.

There he met the experienced Honka and while he gave a decent account of himself, Bridet was not happy with his performance as he lost on a unanimous points decision.

Bridet said: “I didn’t perform to my best or do the things I was supposed to do, which might be down to ring-rust or the nerves of fighting for Great Britain for the first time.

“I won the last round on two out of the three judges’ cards and felt I had more in the tank than my opponent, but I was not quite sharp enough in the fight, which was frustrating. The good thing is that I have got my first fight for Great Britain out of the way.

“I would have preferred not to have got a bye because I could have done with the extra fight. It was disappointing to only have one fight, not perform and go out of the tournament. It was not a wasted journey but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth.”

However, there were plenty of positives for the 23-year-old to take from his first appearance in a GB vest.

“Overall it was a good experience and a real eye-opener,” he said. “I had to keep my weight for three or four days for the first time and then cope with the draw.

“It also gave me more of an understanding of how video analysis can help and taught me to stick to a game-plan. On the face of it, it’s disappointing in that I lost my only fight but there are plenty of things I have learned.

“The coaches were impressed by my defence and fitness and while there were negatives, even those can be seen as positives because I have things to work on.”