Nicola Adams is hoping home support can propel Britain's boxers to Japan ahead of the Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic Qualifying event in London next month.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist used the spirit of the crowd to drive her to glory at London 2012, beating China’s Ren Cancan in the flyweight final before going on to repeat her heroics in Rio four years later. The next generation of British boxers are now vying to follow in her footsteps, as they descend on the Copper Box Arena between March 14-24 in a bid to qualify for Tokyo. And Adams, who retired from boxing at the end of 2019, believes the influence of the London crowd can help raise the British athletes’ performance. “Having the opportunity to box in front of their home crowd in London is going to be fantastic for the boxers going to the qualifier,” the 37-year-old said. “They just need to absorb all of that and remember that the whole country and the nation is behind them when they step in the ring and box. “As long as they work hard and listen to the coaches, I know they will do well.” Adams will be working at the qualifying event as a presenter for the Olympic channel, casting her eye over some of the country’s most promising boxing talent. And one of those names will be 19-year-old Caroline Dubois, who boasts an unblemished track record as a junior and youth boxer and has been compared to Adams herself after being crowned European, World and Olympic youth champion. The precocious star is set to make her debut as a senior on the first day of the tournament on March 14, while reigning World, Commonwealth and European Games champion Lauren Price will kick off her campaign three days later. Pat McCormack is another decorated athlete who will be taking part, and Adams says she is excited about the prospect of the trio as the countdown to the event intensifies. “The boxers I am looking forward to watching are Caroline Dubois, Lauren Price and Pat McCormack,” she added. “They are all really good athletes that are winning everything at the moment, so I am sure they will do really good in the qualifiers.” Boxing Road to Tokyo is the biggest Olympic boxing event to be held in England since the 2012 Olympic Games and will see more than 350 male and female boxers from over 40 countries compete for 77 qualification places at Tokyo 2020. Tickets are on sale at https://www.olympicchannel.com/ with prices starting at £5 (£2.50 concessions). The tournament will be streamed live on the Olympic Channel at https://www.olympicchannel.com/. Further information about the event including a competition schedule is available at www.boxingroadtotokyolondon.org. Sportsbeat 2020