GB Boxing and the Home Nations of Scotland, England and Wales have announced their line-ups for the forthcoming GB Amateur Boxing Championship, to be held at the Echo Arena Liverpool on 12 and 13 November 2010.
The GB Amateur Boxing Championship is a new competition to identify the best male and female amateur boxers in Great Britain with the Finals being televised live on the BBC’s red button.
The competition will pit the best from Scotland, England and Wales against current members of the GB Boxing Olympic Squad and create an opportunity for those that are not currently in the squad to force their way into contention for 2012.
The line-ups announced today, feature 10 medallists from September’s Commonwealth Games including England’s Simon Vallily and Tom Stalker who both claimed Gold in Delhi. They include 10 current national Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) Champions, five European Championship medallists and three World Championship medallists.
In the 60Kg category, there is an early opportunity for Scotland’s Josh Taylor to try and avenge the 11-3 defeat inflicted on him by England’s Tom Stalker in the recent Commonwealth Games final. It also features hotly-tipped Martin Ward from England who was identified by many observers as the best boxer on show in the English ABA Finals in May 2010.
At 56Kg, Welsh teen sensation Sean McGoldrick will be hoping to add to his Commonwealth Silver medal when he takes on the 2010 European Championship Silver medallist, Iain Weaver, and the 2008 European Champion, Luke Campbell.
Two more medallists from 2010’s European Championships feature at 52Kg where Andrew Selby from Wales is against Beijing Olympian, Khalid Yafai. Both are part of the GB Boxing squad, so the GB Championship will provide an opportunity for Selby to challenge Yafai’s status as the current number one ahead of the Olympic qualifying competitions in 2011.
The 81Kg category includes Welsh ABA Champion and Commonwealth bronze medallist Jermaine Asare against English ABA Champion Lawrence Osueke. They will be pitted against GB Boxing’s, Obed Mbwakango and Scotland’s Sean Finney.
One of the most hotly anticipated contests for the Liverpool crowd will be at 69Kg where two local favourites, Callum Smith and Anthony Fowler will compete. Although Smith is the current GB Boxing selection and recently won Silver at the Commonwealth Games he was defeated by Fowler en-route to his English ABA title in 2010.
75Kgs brings together two current ABA Champions and Commonwealth Games medallists in Wales’ Keiron Harding and GB Boxing’s Antony Ogogo. And at 91Kg, two former members of the GB Boxing squad, Stephen Simmons from Scotland and Danny Price of England will be hoping to force their way back into contention for 2012 when they come up against GB Boxing’s Commonwealth Gold sensation, Simon Vallily.
The women’s competition includes two current national ABA Champions and two World Silver medallists.
The 51Kg category features two-time World Silver medallist Nicola Adams, ABA Champion and fellow GB Boxing squad member, Nina Smith, and Lynsey Holdaway from Wales.
The 60Kg category will be hotly contested and brings together two closely matched members of the GB Boxing squad, Natasha Jonas and Amanda Coulson, along with Wales’s Becky Price.
Problems with form and fitness mean there are no candidates from England, Scotland and Wales to challenge, GB Boxing’s World Silver medallist, Savannah Marshall in the 75Kg category. Instead Marshall will compete in a non-title bout against an overseas opponent.
The man with responsibility for selecting and training the GB Boxing squad that will compete at the 2012 Olympics, Rob McCracken, Performance Director of the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) said: “This will be a very high quality tournament and reflects the huge depth of talent we have in amateur boxing in Great Britain at the present time. The success of all of the Home Nations at the Commonwealth Games means we can expect to see some great match-ups in every weight category.
“Staging this event in a large arena mean it will be the biggest crowd that most of the boxers will have competed in front of and will provide a good indication of who can handle the occasion and deliver a winning performance under intense pressure. It will have an influence on the make-up of the Olympic squad and is an opportunity for all of the competitors to showcase their skills and stake a claim to be part of the GB Boxing set-up as we build-up to 2012.”
The draw for the competition will be held in November. In those categories where there are only two or three competitors, some will receive a bye into the Final.
The Semi-finals will be held on Friday 12 November from 3.00pm (doors open 2.00pm). The Finals will be on Saturday 13 November from 7.30pm (doors open 6.30pm).
6,000 tickets will be made available for the event, priced £5 for children and £10 for adults. Tickets are on sale now and will be subject to a booking and handling fee. They can be purchased in person from the Echo Arena Liverpool box office, online at www.echoarena.com or by calling 0844 8000 400.
The men’s selections are:
P – GB Boxing Podium Squad
D – GB Boxing Development Squad
GB Boxing
England
Scotland
Wales
Light Flyweight, 49Kg
Charlie Edwards – D
Hollington, Croydon
Sam Smith
Kings Heath, Northampton
No selection
No selection
Flyweight, 52Kg
Khalid Yafai – P
Birmingham City
2010 European Silver medallist and Beijing Olympian,
Adam Whitfield
Army
No selection
Andrew Selby – P
Splott, Barry
Two-time European bronze medallist in 2008 and 2010
Bantamweight, 56Kg
Iain Weaver – P
Golden Ring, Ferndown
2010 European Silver medallist
Luke Campbell – P
St Paul’s, Hull
2008 European Gold medallist
No selection
Sean McGoldrick – D
St Joseph’s, Cardiff
Commonwealth Silver; WABA champion
Lightweight, 60Kg
Tom Stalker – P
Salisbury, Liverpool
2010 European Silver and Commonwealth Gold medallist
Martin Ward – P
Repton, Bethnal Green
2010 ABA Champion at 57Kg; European Youth Champion 2009
Josh Taylor
Lochend, Edinburgh
Commonwealth Silver; defeated 11-3 by Stalker in final
Joe Cordina – D
Stables, Cardiff
Light Welterweight, 64Kg
Bradley Saunders – P
South Durham, Stockton
World bronze (2007) and Commonwealth Silver, competed in Beijing
Scott Cardle – P
Kirkham, Lytham
World QF (2009)
Jason Easton
Craigmillar, Edinburgh
ABS Champion
Chris Jenkins
Cwmgors, West Glamorgan
Welterweight, 69Kg
Callum Smith – P
Rotunda, Liverpool
Commonwealth Silver medallist
Anthony Fowler – D
Golden Gloves, Liverpool
2010 ABA Champion
Aston Brown
Glasgow Noble Art
Fred Evans – P
St Joseph’s, Cardiff
Competed at Commonwealths; 2007 European Cadet Champion
Middleweight, 75Kg
Antony Ogogo – P
Triple A, Lowestoft
Commonwealth Silver, 2010 ABA Champion
Frank Buglioni – P
Repton, Bethnal Green
No selection
Keiron Harding
Penarth, Cardiff
Commonwealth Bronze; WABA Champion
Light heavyweight, 81Kg
Obed Mbwakongo P
Lynn, London
Lawrence Osueke Newcastle College
ABA Champion 2010
Sean Finney
Kingdom, Fife
Jermaine Asare
Merthyr Ex-Serviceman’s
Commonwealth Bronze; WABA Champion
Heavyweight, 91kg
Simon Vallily – P
South Bank, Middlesbrough
Commonwealth Gold medallist
Danny Price
Westway, Scarborough
Ex-Podium squad, 2010 ABA Champion
Stephen Simmons
Leith Victoria, Edinburgh
Commonwealth Bronze; Ex-Podium squad
Lloyd Davies
Kyber Colts, Rhondda
Super Heavyweight, 91kg+
Amin Isa – P
Miguels, London
Competed at Commonwealths
Anthony Joshua – D
Finchley, London
2010 ABA Champion
Ross Henderson
Springhill Boys, Shotts
Competed at Commonwealths
Andy Jones
Deva Police, Flintshire
The women’s selections are:
GB Boxing
England
Scotland
Wales
Flyweight, 52Kg
Nicola Adams – P
Haringey, London
Two-time World Silver medallist in 2008 and 2010
Nina Smith – P
Chadwell St Mary, Essex
ABA Champion 2010
No selection
Lynsey Holdaway
Llantrisant, Cardiff
Lightweight, 60Kg
Natasha Jonas – P
Rotunda, Liverpool
4-time ABA Champion
Amanda Coulson – P
Hartlepool Catholic Club
Competed at 2010 World Championships
No selection
Becky Price
Newport