Birmingham boxers target 2012 Olympics

Dec 24 2010

FOR five top-rated Birmingham boxers the London Olympic games are just over 18 months away – but the hard work to get there starts on January 4.

And, crucially, 2011 is the year when it will be decided through qualification who will be good enough to make the Great Britain squad.

The first qualifying event is the World Championships, which are in Azerbaijan in September.

Then there are the European championships, which are not a qualifying event for the Olympics but the GB contingent will be expected to do well.

The other qualifying event is the European tournament in Turkey. So GB boxers have two events in which they have to reach the quarter-finals to become qualified for London in 2012.

It’s a tough route but the Yafai brothers, Khalid and Gamal, from the Birmingham City club, Antonio Counihan and Cori Gibbs, from the Eastside outfit, and Hall Green’s Tommy Langford are already in good trim and raring to go.

It’s amazing to reflect that Birmingham could have five boxers representing GB and for the first time in the history of the sport have two brothers participating with high prospects for the medals.

Great Britain, under the guidance of former Birmingham boxer Robert McCracken, have three squads – Podium, Development and Feeder. The Yafais, Counihan and Gibbs are all in the Podium squad with Langford in the Feeder outfit.

Clearly Langford has most work to do to prove that he is the best 71 kilo boxer in these isles but his task is far from impossible.