The European Games is the first opportunity for boxers to qualify for the Paris Olympics; Shona Whitwell will be the first to box for GB in Poland; young talent Jack Dryden and world medallist Reese Lynch will also be in action on Friday
Thursday 22 June 2023 22:26, UK
The boxing tournament at the European Games, the first Olympic qualification event, begins on Friday at the Nowy Targ Arena in Malopolska.
Olympic boxing has been going through a tumultuous time, with the IOC deciding to expel the IBA, boxing's international federation, on Thursday.
The sport, though, is guaranteed to feature at the Paris Olympic Games next year, administered by a special Task Force rather than the IBA.
There will be two more world qualifiers next year. Winning an Olympic place in Poland however will be tough, with 44 spots available across 13 divisions at this championship.
To qualify in Poland in most weight classes boxers will have to finish in the last four. In the women's middleweight, men's flyweight, heavyweight and super-heavyweight divisions, boxers will have to reach the final.
Lightweight Shona Whitwell will be the first boxer from Team GB in action on Friday.
Whitwell came through a challenging field even to win the GB No 1 spot at 60kgs. Gemma Richardson, an excellent world and European youth champion and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, is also on the GB squad at Whitwell's weight.
"There's been a lot of competition. So it's been tough," Whitwell told Sky Sports. "I've had a lot of setbacks.
"Only now I'm being sent to the major tournaments and stuff like that. They're now seeing what I'm about. So it's been a long time coming."
She has been on the GB squad for a number of years but has been disrupted by injury.
"There's been times when I wanted to leave the programme, to give up. There was a time I got injured and I did leave the programme for a few months but got sorted and came back. It's not been an easy road but it does make you mentally strong," she said.
"It has been mentally challenging but it's made me who I am now anyway. I know I'm mentally strong."
It is an opportunity she has earned with international performances and she has boxed Olympic champion Kellie Harrington previously. If Whitwell can progress in the European Games, she hopes to renew hostilities with Ireland's Harrington.
"I'm starting to do well now and bring back medals. I've done well at the Worlds last year, got in the top 16. Europeans, I had three fights just lost out to Kellie Harrington, who's obviously No 1 but only lost on a split so I'm not that far off and I deserve to be mixing it in with the best," Whitwell said.
"I knew how to beat her but obviously just missed out on a 3-2 split, but that gave me the confidence that I needed going forward.
"I definitely know the tactics of how to beat her. It's just doing it on the day. You've got to do it. An Olympic champion, no one's just going to hand it over to me.
"I'm happy to box her any day of the week," she added. "I'd love to beat her. I'd love to be the one to beat her."
But, in a major championship as hard as the Europeans, Whitwell cannot focus on just one opponent. The standard will be high across the board. There are no soft touches in this event.
"In Europe every country, especially at 60kgs anyway, I know they're going to be decent so at least I'm mentally prepared for that," Whitwell said.
"I think the Europeans is actually harder than the Olympics. It's definitely the hardest tournament. So it's going to be tough but hopefully I get it right on the day.
"I know it's going to be tough but I'm hoping all this prep this year, all the struggle, will pay off."
Her first bout comes on Friday against Kosovo's Donjeta Sadiku, a world and European medallist who lost to Caroline Dubois in the last Olympics.
The first boxer from the GB men's team in action at the European Games will be Jack Dryden at 57kgs. A young newcomer to the GB squad, Dryden is going into his first major championship.
His international experience is limited. But he is a talent. He had his first senior bout in the national Elite championships last year. He won the whole competition, against good opposition too. He is one to watch.
For him becoming an Olympian would be "a dream come true".
"It's always been there in my mind," he said. "I couldn't ask for more.
"If I can do that in these first qualifiers I'm flying. I've set myself up. I've just got to carry on all the graft."
Dryden is not entering this event solely to gain experience, though he will benefit from that. He wants to win it outright, and qualify for Paris 2024 in the process.
"That's the plan. I'm going to go for the gold," he told Sky Sports. "It's not an easy ask but I'm confident in my ability.
"I'm in it to do what I do, not thinking too much about anybody else. Just doing what I can do and bring what I bring to the table and I'm confident that'll be enough to conquer anyone.
"I'm quite confident to be honest."
He goes in with France's Riad Labidi in his opening contest.
Scotland's Reese Lynch, world bronze medallist in 2021 and Commonwealth Games champion, also enters the competition on the first day. He boxes Latvia's Marcis Grundulis at light-welterweight.
On Saturday, GB featherweight Elise Glynn and heavyweight Lewis Williams have their first bouts. Welsh 80kgs Taylor Bevan too starts off with a high-level bout against France's Mathieu Bauderlique, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist.
The following day English middleweight Kerry Davis has a challenging bout against a French opponent when she goes in with Davina Michel, a world bronze medallist.
Boxing on Sunday as well, GB super-heavyweight hope Delicious Orie is drawn in a tough opener against Marko Milun, a tricky and experienced Croatian southpaw.
Middleweight Cindy Ngamba will box for the refugee team at the European Games. Her first bout, against Armenia's Ani Hovesepian, will also be on Sunday.
Ngamba was born in Cameroon but grew up in Britain. She has been given refugee status and is trying to resolve her citizenship so she can ultimately represent GB, whose coaches and support staff will work with her at these Games.
"I'm grateful to GB because if it wasn't for them the refugee team would not have been able to find me to give me the scholarship to help me and travel around and go to training camps with GB," she previously told Sky Sports.
"To stand on the stage with my medal and to say that I competed for my country, I won a medal for my country. That is the most beautiful thing.
"That's my dream."
Other GB boxers in action after the weekend include Tokyo Olympian Charley Davison, Commonwealth Games champion Rosie Eccles, European silver medallist Kiaran MacDonald and Demie-Jade Resztan, a multiple international medallist stepping up to 50 kgs.
Look out as well for reigning European 71kgs gold medallist Harris Akbar. He enters the Games on Tuesday.
