By Barry Mcguigan 18/06/2011
The countdown to the Olympics took a huge leap forward when the European Amateur Boxing Championships began in Turkey yesterday.
Though this is not a qualifying event, the results contribute towards the seedings used for the first time at next year’s Games.
The Europeans are the hardest of all the international championships because of the strength in depth. There are no Cubans or Americans but that is more than made up for with the involvement of the former Soviet republics, who churned out a host of brilliant boxers.
Though competitors represent their nations in these championships, they are ultimately fighting for Olympic places.
Team GB – which has 15 fighters in Turkey in arguably the best prepared group in the history of amateur boxing – is guaranteed representation in five categories as hosts but will be looking to fill all 10 divisions. Competition is fierce but with little more than a year to go we already know the likely stars.
Luke Campbell became the first English boxer to claim European gold in 47 years when he won at 54kg in Liverpool three years ago.
Since recovering from a hand injury last year he is unbeaten in seven multinational bouts.
And after moving up to 56kg [featherweight] the six-footer feels far more comfortable and will fancy his chances of gold again.
Thomas Stalker, a former European silver medallist and Commonwealth champion at lightweight, is moving up to light welterweight (64kg), which brings him into competition for the Olympic spot with Beijing veteran Bradley Saunders.
It is a risk worth taking.
Stalker does not want to make the same mistake as Frankie Gavin, who qualified for Beijing at lightweight then found he was unable to make the weight.
There is tough competition, too, at 52kg, between Andrew Selby of Wales and England’s Khaled Yafai.
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via Euros a good early test of our Olympic credentials from 18 Jun 2011 – mirror.co.uk.