next »

[Red]

Flyweight Nicola Adams, lightweight Amanda Coulson and welterweight Savannah Marshall will represent England at the World Championships.

The women's Championships take place in Barbados from 9-18 September, the first since the sport gained Olympic status.

"They've got to grasp the opportunity," Great Britain performance director Rob McCracken told BBC Sport.

The Great Britain team trio are joined by bantamweight Sharon Holford and light-welterweight Chantelle Cameron.

Adams and Coulson will compete in two of the three weight categories that have been selected for the 2012 Olympic Games (51kg and 60kg), while Marshall, who has been chosen by Great Britain Boxing for the Olympic middleweight category, will test herself at 69kg in Barbados and move up to 75kg in 2011.

For Adams her selection is a huge boost after an injury-plagued 12 months.
   
ENGLAND WOMEN'S BOXING TEAM
Flyweight (51kg) - Nicola Adams
Bantamweight (54kg) - Sharon Holford
Lightweight (60kg) - Amanda Coulson
Light-welterweight (64kg) - Chantelle Cameron
Welterweight (69kg) - Savannah Marshall

The 27-year-old from Leeds has beaten off competition from Amateur Boxing Association champion Nina Smith and Lucy O'Connor.

Adams made history in 2008 by becoming the first English woman to win a World Championship medal, narrowly missing out on gold in China when losing to Polish world number one, Karolina Michalczuk.

But the Great Britain flyweight has endured a difficult year with a back injury hampering her progress and has only recently recovered to full fitness.

So with her injury problems behind her, Adams is determined to justify her selection ahead of Smith who recently impressed at the ABA finals in Portsmouth.

"Selection means absolutely the world to me," she told BBC Sport at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

"Just to get a chance to go and perform and hopefully bring back a medal is brilliant.

"It's got to be really hard because of the weight changes through the divisions, so there are going to be even more champions.
Amanda Coulson (l), Savannah Marshall, Nicola Adams (r)
Amanda Coulson, Savannah Marshall and Nicola Adams will represent GB

"Everyone I'll be boxing against will be a European medallist or a world medallist. It's going to be the best of the best so it's going to be tough but I'm planning on coming out on top."

Selection has greater importance with the London Games less than two years away with a good performance leaving the three women in pole position to gain the three places available in the Great Britain Olympic boxing team for 2012.

The most competitive division, lightweight, saw 28-year-old Coulson from Hartlepool pip four-time ABA champion Natasha Jonas and bright prospect Ruth Raper to selection.

Jonas, 22, recently disappointed at the EU Championships in Hungary losing in the first round with the experience of three-time ABA champion and European Championships silver medallist Coulson, edging selection in her favour.

"It's a fantastic opportunity I've been given and a great honour to represent GB," Coulson told BBC Sport.

"I'm really excited and I look forward to getting out there, performing well and doing my best. I'm planning to come away with a medal."

McCracken admits that choosing which lightweight to send to Barbados was the toughest decision but is confident that British Boxing has made the right one.

"It was a tough decision and a close call," added McCracken.

"It was really between Amanda and Natasha and you've got to go on current form. On current form Coulson's form is better than Jonas' and that's how we work. The boxer in form will get the opportunity to perform and that's the fair way to be."
   
The boxer in form will get the opportunity to perform and that's the fair way to be

Rob McCracken - GB performance director

While the decision was tough at lightweight it was relatively straightforward at middleweight with Marshall unchallenged in that division.

There are high hopes for Marshall ahead of London 2012 and September's Championships will provide an intriguing insight as to how good the 19-year-old from Hartlepool can be on the world stage.

"It means everything to me to box at the Championships, I'm very excited," admitted Marshall.

And she added of her aspirations: "I want to be medal I would like it to be gold."

"Savannah is a young girl and a huge talent but I think she'll handle the pressure as she's already hugely experienced," continued McCracken.

"She's won some big tournaments already and has got an old head on young shoulders. Savannah is a tremendous talent and another big prospect that we have in women's boxing."

The team for the World Championships will leave on 26 August and spend 10 days acclimatising in a holding camp in Miami.

The bouts in Barbados consist of four rounds of two minutes each with one minute to rest between rounds.

[grizzlyadams]

Two silver medals for GB team at Women's World Championships
http://www.gbboxing.org.uk/news/two-silver-medals-for-gb-team-at-women039s-world-championships-139.php


Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall left the AIBA Women's World Championships in Barbados with silver medals this weekend, after performances that proved that the GB women's squad will be a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

After a close first two rounds Leeds boxer Nicola's (51kg) Chinese opponent Cancan Ren managed to score a couple of points seemingly from nowhere, which appeared to set the trend for the rest of the bout. Nicola managed to break her opponent's defences at regular intervals without managing to score, but Ren restricted attacks with flair, winning 10:5.

Nicola said: "I would have loved to have gone one better than last time and win the gold but I am happy with the way I have performed this week. This time last year, I was seriously injured and did not know if I would ever compete again so to win a medal is a great feeling. By being part of the GB Boxing programme, I feel I am improving all the time and I am looking forward to 2012 with a lot of optimism."

In an extremely tight contest Savannah Marshall (69kg) kept American opponent Andrecia Wasson at range. Wasson established an early lead, but although her shots were going unrecognised, this did not deter Savannah, and after the referee had warned the American for ducking the scores were level half-way through the third. Savannah adopted a more aggressive approach, but display a brave final round which included a fantastic right hand, she wasn't able to close the 5:4 deficit, meaning that she would have to settle for silver.

Savannah Marshall said: "It was a very close contest and I was disappointed to lose by a single point, however this week has been a great experience and to win silver in my first World Championships is brilliant. I think I still have a lot of scope to improve between now and the Olympics in 2012 when I hope to go one better."


GB Boxing's Performance Director, Rob McCracken said: "To secure two silver medals at the World Championships is a fantastic achievement and shows that Great Britain is an up-and-coming force in women's boxing.


"Nicola and Savannah have boxed fantastically throughout the tournament and their success here augurs very well for the Olympics in 2012.


"Savannah in an immense talent and to achieve a World Silver medal at the age of nineteen is a fantastic achievement. As long as she continues to work hard, she will only get better and is a very exciting prospect for 2012.


"Less than 12 months ago Nicola had a career threatening injury so to come here and win a second consecutive World Silver medal is a phenomenal achievement. It shows that she is one of the leading female boxers in the world today and a serious medal hope for the Olympics in 2012."