The Olympic Games host nation's squad has its sights clearly set on topping the boxing team rankings in the front of their fervent home crowd when the biggest show on earth get underway in the British capital on 28 July. Having qualified seven men as well as women in each of the three weight categories, the country holds high hopes that their talented pool of fighters will make history in London.
With women's boxing making its debut at the Olympic Games, Flyweight (51kg) Nicola Adams, Lightweight (60kg) Natasha Jones and Middleweight (75kg) Savannah Marshall will all seek glory as the world watches on.
European Champion Nicola Adams defeated her main rival and three-time AIBA World Champion Cancan Ren at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in February but lost against the Chinese fighter in the final of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao, China, in May this year. Adams has come second best to the savvy Cancan Ren in last two editions but will aim to claim ultimate glory by taking the Olympic gold medal. The 29-year-old Adams will also have to be weary of the threat posed by India's five-time AIBA World Champion Chungneijang Mery Kom if she is to go all the way in the competition.
Savannah Marshall celebrated her 21st birthday on the last day of competition at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships Qinhuangdao 2012 by inflicting a sensational defeat on Azerbaijan's Elena Vystropova to triumph in the Middleweight (75kg) category. The young orthodox fighter from Hartlepool, dubbed the 'Silent Assassin', became the first British women to take gold in the worldwide event and now will be the firm favourite to take the Olympic title after defeating all before her in China.
Completing the trio of athletes in the women's draw is 25-year-old AIBA Women's World Championships bronze medallist Natasha Jonas who will be vying with quadruple AIBA World Champion Katie Taylor from Ireland, the tough Russian Sofya Ochigava and the experienced US fighter Quanitta Lee 'Queen' Underwood for the gold medal in the Lightweight (60kg) category.
In the men's draw, one of the Flyweight (52kg) gold medal contenders is the extremely gifted Andrew Selby, who became the first Welshmen in history to win a title at the European Championships. Last year, the 23-year-old took silver at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011 before defeating England's Khalid Yafai in a special box-off to decide who would represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. The supremely talented Selby, who constantly switches stance during his bouts as he is as comfortable fighting southpaw as he is orthodox, will be the favourite to take the Olympic title after consolidating his place at the top of the AIBA World Ranking. The classy Flyweight's main rivals for gold will be Russia's World Champion Misha Aloian, who defeated him in Baku, as well the elegant Frenchman Nordine Oubaali, tough Michael Conlan from Ireland, the experienced American team captain Raushee Warren and the fleet footed Uzbek Jasurbek Latipov.
AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist and former European Champion Luke Campbell is another gold medal hope for Great Britain. The Bantamweight (56kg) has only lost three contests in the last two years and will be one of the front runners in his category along with Cuban AIBA World Champion Lazaro Alvarez and the World's top ranked boxer at that weight, Tajikistan's No.1 Anvar Yunusov. The 24-year-old from Hull will be hungry for success.
21-year-old Josh Taylor, the only Scotsman in the team, was a silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the Lochend Lightweight (60kg) will want to make his mark at the Olympic Games after impressing at the AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event Trabzon 2012 where he reached the semi-final stages. The tall southpaw will be battling it out against some quality opposition with amongst others, Ukraine's reigning Olympic Champion Vasyl Lomachenko and 2009 AIBA World Champion Domenico Valentino from Italy.
World top ranked Light Welterweight (64kg) and AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Thomas Stalker is an experienced campaigner who has a European and Commonwealth gold in his trophy cabinet. The 28-year-old from Liverpool has only competed at the Bocskai Memorial Tournament this year but the noise coming from the British camp is that the orthodox fighter with the water-tight defences is in the shape of his life and is primed to go all the way in London. With Brazil's Everton Lopes dos Santos and Roniel Iglesias from Cuba also in the mix, Stalker will have to be on top of his game to claim the Olympic title.
Another European Champion, 21-year-old Welterweight (69kg) Freddie Evans is currently the World's second ranked fighter in his category and after a surprise defeat at the quarter-final stages of the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, the southpaw is looking to set the record straight by taking the Olympic gold medal. His conditioning could be the key to success if he is to rival for the title the likes of Lithuania's Egidijus Kavaliauskas, Ukraine's AIBA World Champion or Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan.
Former AIBA Cadet World Champion Anthony Ogogo looked calm and composed when reaching the final of the AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event Trabzon 2012 to book his quota place for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 23-year-old speedy orthodox Middleweight (75kg) will want to emulate his compatriot James Degale, who is the Olympic titleholder from Beijing.
Much of the buzz around the British camp has centred around the rising star that is the promising Super Heavyweight (+91kg) Anthony Joshua, who secured an impressive silver medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011 after losing to Azerbaijan's Magomedrasul Medzhidov in a spectacular final battle. 23-year-old Joshua only started boxing at the age of 18 after his cousin introduced him to the sport but already today, the 198cm tall, 6ft6in, has developed into one of the most feared fighters in the World. A Londoner, Joshua will want nothing more than to take the gold medal on his home turf and follow in the footsteps of greats such as Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon, George Foreman and Joe Frazier who all triumphed in the heaviest of categories.
The team from Great Britain just has so much quality throughout and with a world-class set-up behind them as well as home advantage; many expect this group to break records during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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