Commonwealth Games team preview: England
July 11th, 2014 / All
England will be sending eleven boxers to the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23.
Their current women’s squad is one of the best in the entire world, and contains stars including London 2012 Olympic Games Champion Nicola Adams, and defending AIBA Women’s World Champion Savannah Marshall.
The English coaches are expecting gold medals from their strong women’s squad in Glasgow, while their rebuilt men’s team are also talented enough to earn top honours in the Games.
Fast facts
What: Commonwealth Games
Where: Glasgow, Scotland
When: 23 July – 3 August, 2014
The Tension and the Drama
England’s women boxers have all been competing at a world class level for some time now, and all of their three London 2012 Olympians have been selected for the Commonwealth Games as well.
London 2012 gold medallist and EUBC European Champion Nicola Adams surprisingly lost her recent quarter-final at the EUBC European Continental Championships in Bucharest last month, but she is being tipped to shake off that defeat, and live up to her billing as the top favourite of the Flyweight class (51 kg) in Glasgow.
AIBA Women’s World Championships bronze medallist Natasha Jonas claimed a silver medal in the EUBC European Women’s Continental Championships in Bucharest in June, and has moved back to the Lightweight class (60 kg) following the Romanian tournament.
Defending AIBA Women’s World Champion 23-year-old Savannah Marshall missed the EUBC European Women’s Continental Championships in Bucharest, but is expected to be fully ready to challenge for gold in the Games.
The high quality trio are all gold medal contenders – could England’s three lionesses all win for their country?
Ones to watch in the Commonwealth Games
England’s current best men’s boxer is Anthony Fowler, who was a bronze medallist in the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Almaty last October, and will be travelling for the gold in Scotland.
The 23-year-old Middleweight class (75 kg) boxer has already defeated most of the athletes in his category, which gives his golden expectations a lot of credibility.
Patrick McCormack is a new Lightweight class (60 kg) star, and the EUBC European Junior Continental Champion is only 19.
Despite his young age he has had an excellent junior and youth career, and is being tipped as his team’s potential surprise sensation in Glasgow.
Their Light Welterweight class (64 kg) number one boxer is Samuel Maxwell, who put himself in the spotlight at the 2012 AIBA European Olympic Qualifiers in Turkey, where he opened his tournament with a surprise victory over Russia’s AIBA World Champion Albert Selimov.
Since then he has won some international events, and will be looking for another big win in Glasgow.
Joseph Joyce is England’s powerful weapon in the Super Heavyweight class (+91 kg) and he will be looking to utilise his power and skill to success in the Games.
Fact of the Commonwealth Games
England’s team has completely changed from their line-up at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India.
New members of the team include EUBC European Continental Championships bronze medallist Charlie Edwards, while Qais Ashfaq who competed in the 2010 AIBA Youth World Championships in Baku and won the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games, is another medal contender in Glasgow.
Scott Fitzgerald is England’s new Welterweight class (69 kg) boxer, while their Heavyweight class (91 kg) athlete Warren Baister has been a member of their national squad since 2008.
England’s history in the event
England are the most successful boxing nation in the history of the Commonwealth Games, having topped the team rankings in several editions of the tournament.
In the very first edition of the game in 1930, England claimed five gold medals, while their team bagged six top positions in London in 1934.
Their Super Heavyweight class (+91 kg) star, Sydney 2000 Olympic Champion Audley Harrison won a memorable Commonwealth Games gold in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
The English delegation claimed two gold medals in the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
