Fighter Pat McCormack says he is going to the upcoming EUBC European Boxing Championships in Kharkiv, Ukraine full of confidence.
GB Boxing has announced the 13-man squad who will fight for Britain at the championships, which take place from June 16 to 24.
McCormack and Galal Yafai are the two highest profile names on the list, both having fought at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The 22-year-old is also the only fighter to have previous European Championship experience, having won a silver medal in 2015.
However, the Birtley ABC boxer has vowed to go one better this time around.
“I have been to an Olympics and boxed the best in the world so now I don’t feel any pressure and am going to this tournament feeling confident," he said.
“I thought I did enough to win the gold medal at the last Europeans, but it was not to be, so this time I am looking to go one better.
“I have moved up to welterweight since Rio, but competing at a bigger weight is not a problem. I have already grown into the weight and won my first competition as a welterweight, where I was named boxer of the tournament.”
McCormack and Yafai will be joined by eight other English fighters, Niall Farrell, Peter McGrail, Calum French, Ben Whittaker, Tom Whittaker-Hart, Cheavon Clarke, Frazer Clarke and Pat’s brother Luke McCormack.
Three Scottish fighters - Lee McGregor, John Docherty and Scott Forrest – are also in the squad for the event, which acts as a qualifier for the World Championships Hamburg, later this year.
Boxers must reach the last eight of the Kharkiv competition to guarantee a place in Germany.
GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken, said: “This is an inexperienced team that we are taking to the first major tournament of a new Olympic cycle, so it will be a learning experience for a lot of the boxers.
“The European Championships is always tough and the competition will be fierce, however it is an opportunity for all of the boxers to show they can perform at this level and have the capability to be successful and win medals as we progress through the cycle towards the next Olympics.”
Sportsbeat 2017