Britain’s elite world champions, including Caroline Dubois and Ellie Scotney, will showcase their talents in a stacked ad on Sky Sports on Sunday.
There are also promising signs of a vibrant future for the sport in the coming years, thanks to the success of the England boxing team at junior and youth level.
Boxing is one of the most successful sports in this country across all age groups, and its strength is evidenced by the number of international medals it has won.
Chris Connelly, head of performance at England Boxing, said: “I think the perfect example is the Youth World Championships in Colorado. It was Colorado and it was an expensive fight. There were only 10 boxers taking part and we ended up with eight world champions.”
“Only one guy won a bronze medal who could have easily made it to the final on another day, but only one didn’t win a medal. Nine out of 10 medals, eight of them were youth world champions. I think India finished below us and they had twice as many boxers as we did.”
“In the last four major tournaments we’ve participated in, three European Championships and one Youth World Championship, the School, Junior and Youth European Championships, and the Youth World Championship over that period, we’ve been the top country in all of them. We’re basically No. 1 in the world.”
He added: “With a little cooperation with the UK, we won’t take all the divisions because we can’t afford it, but you will be there, Ukraine and India will also have all the divisions and we will still be ahead of them and at the top of the medal standings. Even though we have a lot of tournaments, we have half the number of participants as those countries.”
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Sky Sports Boxing’s Andy Scott covers everything you need to know about the lightweight unification fight between Caroline Dubois and Terry Harper on April 5th.
England Boxing provides a pathway to Olympic representation for GB, but also competes in its own international competitions at senior, youth and junior level.
“Clubs in England are incredible. There are 1,200 boxing clubs across England that keep producing talent and they come through our doors. Just like when we hand them over to GB, they come through our doors and we just try to use them to go international and represent us,” Connelly said.
“If they have enough non-Olympic weight to compete internationally, we take them to the senior program,” he added, adding that World silver medalist Emily Asquith is a good example.
“My job is to make sure they leave England in a better place, whether they go to England or go pro. If they go pro, it’s still great for us and it’s great for boxing. Again, someone doing well on TV is the catalyst for someone else to get into an English boxing club and the cycle starts all over again.”
“They will become better professionals because of the two years they spent with us.”
Ruby White embodies the success of a young England team (Photo credit: USA Boxing)
Whether they break into the professional ranks or compete in the Olympics, the future is bright for British boxing.
“The talent is incredible. Alice Pomfrey, who we handed over to GB, was a youth world champion. Ruby White is just an incredible talent,” Connelly said.
“Ruby has won the last four major tournaments she has competed in, as well as the last three European Championships and the Youth World Championships.
“She’s real.”
At the recent Under-19 World Boxing Futures Cup in Thailand, Lily Bassett defeated five world-class opponents to reach the top of the podium, giving England an impressive gold medal.
Jaya Kalsi also impressed, winning the bronze medal after four tough matches in Bangkok. Four of the team are currently ranked within the top five U19 boxers in the world.
All six selected teams have qualified for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar, Senegal later this year.
Bassett, coached by his father James, head coach and Gogglebox star Marcus Luther, also enjoyed an incredible run, winning three consecutive European gold medals.
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Caroline Dubois and Terry Harper had a heated showdown and exchanged more words after the launch press conference for the April 5 fight.
The success of the England boxing team shows that the future of British boxing is bright. Long before they became professional world champions, Caroline Dubois and Ellie Scotney represented England at various age groups. Dubois was surprisingly successful in junior and youth, never losing in these categories and winning the Youth Olympics.
The strong foundation of the sport in this country is thanks to amateur boxing clubs.
“Our biggest attraction is that we have 1,200 boxing clubs across the country, where they are located, who they serve and how easy it is to join a boxing club and start the sport,” Connelly said.
“The history of boxing in the ABA, England, is around 150 years old, but we have a very strong regional and national championship structure and anyone who is good enough can join.”
Watch Caroline Dubois v Terry Harper and Ellie Scotney v Mayeli Flores on the Bills live on Sky Sports on Sunday 5th April.
