Page 43 - Boxing News Magazine (January 2020)

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representation at their home Olympics. WOMEN Delfine Persoon is expected to attempt
But it always helps to bring the to qualify for the Olympics. If she can
tournament to life if the host nation make lightweight over the long course
boxers do well enough to generate 51kgs: MARY KOM (India) of an amateur tournament, there are still
excitement. Welterweight is an India’s Mary Kom is one of the remaining no guarantees that she’ll enjoy success.
extremely tough division, with England’s superstars of women’s boxing. Nicola Tough veterans like Mira Potkonen,
Pat McCormack and Russia’s Andrey Adams has now retired, Katie Taylor is who eliminated Katie Taylor at the last
Zamkovoy, a London 2012 veteran, the a unified professional world champion. Olympics, will prove formidable.
global leaders at the moment. Okazawa Kom, an icon in her homeland, however is
will be a wildcard but he has power, is working to see if she has one last Olympics 69kgs: OSHAE JONES (USA)
difficult to box and entertaining to watch. left in her. Although she holds a record- America had a quality team at Rio 2016,
breaking number of World gold medals, it Claressa Shields and Shakur Stevenson
75kgs: EUMIR MARCIAL (Philippines) will be tough for her to excel outside of her the stars then. Now the US does not
The Philippines is looking for the next natural weight. Her progress through the have any returning Olympians. New
Manny Pacquiao. It’s far too early to be qualification events early in 2020 therefore contenders will have to come through
doling out that kind of praise to Olympic will be fascinating to watch. as their squad takes shape at the recent
prospects, however the heavy-handed trials (see page 43). Oshae Jones, the
Eumir Marcial could be a future star. He 57kgs: KARISS ARTINGSTALL PanAmerican Games gold medallist could
is an exciting talent and impressed at the (England) be one of their boxers to break through.
recent World championships, going far This division is a new category being
enough to secure a silver medal. introduced into the next Olympic 75kgs: LAUREN PRICE (Wales)
Games. There is all to play for in the There is only one way for Lauren Price
81kgs: BEN WHITTAKER (England) weight class. This time a year ago Karriss to top her outstanding 2019, and that’s
England has more established names, Artingstall was not on the radar, but after winning an Olympic gold medal this
the McCormack twins for instance or a sequence of stellar performances she year. In 2019 she did the double, winning
Liverpool’s Peter McGrail are better is very much a contender at 57kgs. Clean gold at the European Games and World
ONE OF THE HOPES:
known and more seasoned medal- straight punching and real power for her championships. It, almost, doesn’t get
Oshae Jones could
winners. But often a less heralded GB weight mark her out. better than that. But she will need to be a potential
boxer comes to the fore at an Olympic maintain her form in the coming months medal winner for
Games, think of Joshua Buatsi at Rio 2016 60kgs: MIRA POTKONEN (Finland) and be ready once again for bitter rival the United States
or even James DeGale at Beijing 2008. Former professional world champion Nouchka Fontijn.
Whittaker has slick skills, can certainly do
well in Tokyo and is the right age, only 22,
to set himself up for a very bright future.

91kgs: DAVID NYIKA (New Zealand)
The New Zealander is a fine boxer and
can turn on the power too. He has
though had no luck. The two-weight
Commonwealth Games gold medallist
ran up against the Russian in Russia at the
last World championships. He hasn’t got
a major medal yet but in 2020 he could
come through.
91&kgs: BAKHODIR JALOLOV
(Uzbekistan)
Another quality Uzbek, Bakhodir Jalolov,
like Zoirov (above), has taken advantage
of the new ruling that allows national
federations to select professional boxers.
Jalolov has dabbled in pro boxing and
made headlines when he knocked the
USA’s Richard Torrez cold. He was callow
at the last Olympics but has matured into
a force in the division now.

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