Unorthodoxx identified the five women who are competing to secure their place at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The qualifying event took place at the Copper Box Arena in London, in March 2020. Although some of the qualifying bouts took place, many of them had to be suspended due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite there being some uncertainty which of the remaining boxers will qualify we credit those who have already secured their spot on the GB squad.
In recent years, Team GB has produced some of the best quality talent in the world and not only in boxing. After the announcement that the Olympics would be taking place in London in 2012, young athletes all around the country desired the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage. The 2012 Olympics returned 65 medals, 29 being gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze. 1 of those gold medals was returned by Nicola Adams, the first woman ever to win a gold medal in boxing.
Women’s Middleweight Boxers (75kg)
Lauren Price, the current middleweight world champion, leads the line of great female boxers in this team. Price, one of the Welsh boxers competing for Team GB recently won gold at The Women’s World Boxing Championships, after a split decision was overturned. The Welsh boxer has already claimed the Commonwealth, European and now World championship gold medals. The next one on her list is of course the Olympic gold, 2021 could be the year to complete her collection and go down in women’s boxing history.
Women’s Welterweight Boxers (69kg)
Rosie Eccles, the 2019 European Championship bronze medallist. Eccles started off boxing as just exercise and maintained an amateur status until a few years ago. The young girl from Cardiff, who also holds a Commonwealth silver medal, is studying for a master’s degree in sports psychology alongside her Team GB commitments. As a light-welterweight, Eccles has also won a silver medal at the European Youth Championships in 2016. A young boxer with some great achievements going into the Olympic qualifiers, she will be hoping to upgrade her silver and bronze medals to gold this time out.
Rosie Eccles was one of the athletes who competed in the qualifying event. Eccles unfortunately lost to Russian veteran Saadat Dalgatova on a split points decision, after starting the bout strongly.
Womens’s Lightweight Boxers (60 kg)
Caroline Dubois, one of the standout names on the Team GB roster and in the entire lightweight division. In 2019, Dubois won the BBC young sports personality of the year award after her contributions to women’s boxing. The young boxer is one of eleven children from father Dave Dubois, her older brother is also a boxer named Daniel Dubois. Starting boxing from a young age, Dubois initially posed as a male boxer named Colin, just so she could train at her local gym at the age of nine. Her determination has earned her gold medals at the European Junior Championships, World Youth Championships and the Youth Olympic Games in 2018. Despite not competing at senior level yet, Caroline has had over 40 bouts and has her eye on a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Caroline Dubois won her first fight of her qualifying campaign by outpointing Ala Staradub of Belarus. She is set to compete against Mira Potkonen, a 2016 bronze medalist, in her next fight of the campaign.
Women’s Featherweight Boxers (57 kg)
Karriss Artingstall. A featherweight boxer, originally from Macclesfield, Artingstall admits having a rough childhood in school and outside, while also being open about the fact that she is not the typical ‘girly girl’ and more commonly had male friends. A fierce boxer and from her efforts in the ring she have earned the nicknames ‘The Bomber’ with her powerful backhand and ‘The Powerful English Soldier’ for her achievements in boxing. In 2019, Karriss earned herself a silver medal at the 2019 European Championships and a bronze medal from the 2019 World Championships. The 25 year old is eyeing the chance to become an Olympian and has also stated that she is interested in professional boxing after her potential Olympic campaign.
Women’s Flyweight Boxers (51 kg)
Charley Davidson, a mother of three, made her return to women’s boxing in April 2019 by becoming the National Elite Bantamweight Champion. After returning to boxing and claiming a national title, Davidson also went on to compete internationally at the England vs Germany. The 26 year old caught many of the coaches eyes upon her return and earned herself a place on the GB Team in January 2020. An inspiring young woman on the GB Team who will be looking to add to her national title with an Olympic win in Tokyo.
Remaining Boxers to Qualify
For those boxers that are yet to qualify, following the impact of the global lockdown we face, the Olympic channel posted the following article to explain the situation further.
Plans for Tokyo 2020
Currently, Olympics has been postponed until the summer of 2021. Although the decision will have been crushing for those preparing for arguably the largest event of their boxing career, it is inevitable for their safety.
We will keep you updated on the qualifying event and the future for Women’s Olympic Boxing.
About Unorthodoxx and our womens boxing gloves
Unorthodoxx is the UK’s first Women’s Boxing brand that has been created purely for women and has exclusively designed women’s boxing gloves and women’s boxing clothing. Our products and equipment are designed to offer the ultimate fit, protection and durability for female boxers and combat sports fighters. From novice beginners to elite competition Unorthodoxx fight gear offers the best women’s boxing gloves, clothing and equipment.
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