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🥊 Dreams will be realised and hopes dashed over the next 11 days at the Copper Box Arena which hosts the Boxing Road to Tokyo European qualifying event. Tickets from just £5 now on general sale!
Boxers from Team GB aiming to emulate the likes of Nicola Adams, Luke Cambell and Anthony Joshua (gold medallists from the last two Olympics, Adams at both) will be among those seeking to secure qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold the European continental qualifying event in London.
Taking place at the Copper Box Arena from 14-24 March the tournament will feature up to 450 boxers from as many of 50 countries. Featuring eight men’s weight categories and five for women a total of 77 boxers [50 men and 27 women] from Europe will ultimately secure a place at Tokyo 2020.
Eight men and five women from the GB Boxing squad have been selected to compete in London (team in full below, together with dates each member expected in qualifying action) which is the first opportunity for the boxers to qualify for Tokyo 2020. The second and final chance will be at the final Boxing Road to Tokyo World Qualification Event in Paris, 13-24 May 2020.
Appearing on home soil in front what is sure to be a packed house can only inspire the GB boxers, a thought echoed by 2019 world champion, Lauren Price, who speaking from the GB Boxing women’s training camp in the USA in early January ahead of her selection said: “Last year was amazing for me winning the world championship and going unbeaten throughout the whole 12 months, so I am just going to continue to work hard and do everything I can to keep on winning.
“Going to the Olympic Games has been a dream since I was eight-years-old. It’s why I got into sport in the first place and I am determined to take this opportunity to book my place for Tokyo at the first time of asking.”
Ones to watch: Just some of the GB names to look out for are the aforementioned world champion Lauren Price and Commonwealth Games gold medallists Frazer Clarke, Pat McCormack, Peter McGrail and Galal Yafai. And then there is Caroline Dubois – younger sister of unbeaten British heavyweight Daniel – who won gold at the Youth Olympics in 2018 as a 17-year-old prompting this comment from BBC Sport boxing correspondent Mike Costello in the Radio 5 Live podcast: “I am having to slam on the brakes because I am tempted to call Caroline Dubois the best female boxer I have seen.” Read more via the GB Boxing Podium Squad bios.
The boxing arena will have two rings for the first six days of competition enabling spectators to see up to 16 bouts per session. Seating will be unreserved in the Upper Bowl, allowing people to move between the two rings and get the best view of the action they want to watch.
For the final four days of competition (21 -24 March) there will be a single ring with reserved seating as the competition reaches its final stages and 77 qualification places for Tokyo 2020 are confirmed.
GB team picked for the Boxing Road to Tokyo:
Women: Charley Davison (flyweight), Karriss Artingstall (featherweight), Caroline Dubois (lightweight), Rosie Eccles (welterweight), Lauren Price (middleweight).
Men: Galal Yafai (flyweight), Pete McGrail (featherweight), Luke McCormack (light-welterweight), Pat McCormack (welterweight), Lewis Richardson (middleweight), Ben Whittaker (light-heavyweight), Cheavon Clarke (heavyweight), Frazer Clarke (super-heavyweight).
For specific sessions/dates when individual boxers from the GB team can – assuming still in the tournament 🥊 – secure their Olympic qualification see this GB Boxing guide.
🎟️ Tickets in advance for the Boxing Road to Tokyo qualifier are available via the ‘Get Tickets‘ link. Prices starts at £5 (adults) and £2.50 (concessions) for weekday sessions.
🚊 🚗 Travel tips: Public transport is recommended. Hackney Wick overground and Stratford tube station are approximately a 10-minute walk from the Copper Box Arena. Stratford International station (accessible from London St Pancras) is about a 15-minute walk. Very limited parking is available on site although parking is available at nearby Westfield Shopping Centre.
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