Among the fighters for Australia’s men any number of the boys could become Australia’s Cinderella Man. The outlook for Australian boxers to break the medal drought which has lasted since Seoul 1988 is very positive. Youth Olympic Games Champion Damien Hooper has continued to win tournaments internationally since his breakthrough at Singapore 2010. The Light Heavyweighter (75-81 kg) from Queensland, now based at the AIS in Canberra, had a solid 2011 earning his Olympic berth by making the quarter-finals at the World Championships. He is ranked world no.2. Other strong male prospects include Luke Jackson (Lightweight 56-60 kg) and Jeff Horn (60-64 kg).
Bianca Elmir (ACT) U51 kg, Jessica Retallack (QLD) U60kg and Naomi Fischer-Rasmussen (WA) U75 kg won the 2012 National Championships. Naomi and Bianca are especially experienced and benefiting from recent international tournaments. They have both won gold in Europe in 2011 and are on the rise ahead of London 2012. They will need to qualify their spots at the Women's World Championships (21 May - 10 June 2012).
BOXING FORMAT
Boxers compete in their respective weight categories (events) in a knock-out format. The winners of the two semi-finals in each weight category will fight for the gold medal, with the losers of the two semi-finals each awarded a bronze. Boxing, judo and taekwondo are the only Olympic sports to award two bronze medals.
Boxers who are awarded the most points by the judges are determined the winner of the bout. Points are scored for every punch they land successfully on their opponent’s head or upper body. Men’s bouts comprise three rounds of three minutes. Women’s bouts are fought over four rounds of two minutes.
The Olympic Boxing competition will feature 10 men’s weight categories (events) and three for women.
- Men – Light Fly (46 to 49kg), Fly (up to 52kg), Bantam (up to 56kg), Light (up to 60kg), Light Welter (up to 64kg), Welter (up to 69kg), Middle (up to 75kg), Light Heavy (up to 81kg), Heavy (up to 91kg) and Super Heavy (+91kg)
- Women - Fly (48-51kg), Light Welter (57-60kg), Light Heavy (69-75kg).
QUALIFICATION AND SELECTION
Countries can qualify a maximum of one fighter per weight category (10 men, 3 women). Athletes who qualify the spots and fulfil the nomination and selection criteria will be presented to the AOC for selection.
Australian athletes qualify places through Oceania allocations. Athletes will contest selection events in Australia to determine who will represent Australia and aim to qualify the spots at the World Championships and Oceania Qualification Event for Men and the World Championships for Women.
Damien Hooper earned Australia an Olympic berth at the 2011 World Championships held in Korea. The Aussie men qualified the other nine available spots at the Oceania Qualification Event, qualifying a full contingent for the first time.
There are three spots for women in Oceania which Australian athletes will be chasing. The qualification event for women is the World Championships held in May 2012.
For all the Nomination and Selection documentation click here>>>
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC HISTORY
Australia’s first Olympic boxer and medallist, was the famous sporting all-rounder Reginald “Snowy” Baker in London in 1908. The next medal came in Melbourne in 1956 with Kevin Hogarth’s bronze in the welterweight division. Tony Madigan and Ollie Taylor headed the boxing team in Rome 1960 and both won bronze medals in the light heavyweight and bantamweight categories respectively. Madigan lost to a precocious Cassius Clay (now known as Muhammad Ali) in a semi-final. Seoul 1988 saw Grahame “Spike” Cheney equal Baker’s performance by winning a silver medal, as a light welterweight.
To learn more about Australia's boxing history click here>>>