Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist and European Championships silver medallist, Alexis Vastine will lead the French team in Baku where they can expect quotas as well as medals. The country sent nine competitors to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games but now hopes on a new record.
The 25-year-old welterweight won the Military World Games in Brazil where he was awarded the best boxer trophy and eliminated all his rivals with a large margin of points. Vastine prepared for this AIBA World Championships with Cubans and Ukrainians and has great expectations.
The entire French team has been preparing for Baku 2011 together with other nations such as England, India, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Ecuador and Spain in a small town, named Bugeat.
Five out eight Paris United competitors (World Series of Boxing team title-holder) will make the French team even stronger.
AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medallist, 21-year-old Jeremy Beccu is a very talented youngster and looks for a real breakthrough in his boxing career. His target will be the Olympic quota, and many people, such as head coach Jean Savarino, think that his dream could soon come true.
AIBA World Championships bronze medallist and European Cup winner, 25-year-old Nordine Oubaali lost in the final of the WSB Individual Championships against Kazakhstan's Kanat Abutalipov. Therefore the Frenchman will have to fight hard to reach the Olympic quota in the flyweight division.
Surprisingly enough, French bantamweight will be National Championships silver medallist, 23-year-old and newcomer Anthony Bret and not Walid Belaoura.
Bocskai Memorial Tournament winner, 21-year-old Samir Machrouh is the only boxer who could defeat defending AIBA World Champion, Cuban Roniel Iglesias in this Olympic era. On the other hand, he was defeated by several rivals in the recent past but his preparation seemed to be really good.
France's best middleweight, former AIBA Junior World Championships bronze medallist, 22-year-old Michel Tavares also competed in the WSB season. But after that he suffered from an early loss at the European Championships in Ankara.
Paris' United tough WSB boxer Ludovic Groguhe who claimed a silver medal at the Individual Championships in May, went up a weight class and will participate in the heavyweight division.
One of the world's biggest super heavyweight prospect is Youth Olympic Games winner and AIBA Youth World Championships silver medallist, 19-year-old Tony Yoka who also won his first French National Elite title in March and raised his experience during the WSB season.
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