Going for Gold: The Midlands trio hoping to box their way to glory at Tokyo 2020
The Midlands is blessed with boxing talent and there's a real chance that Team GB's boxing team could be bringing back a few medals with them.
For 29-year-old Frazer Clarke from Burton, it's a chance to right the wrongs of the past. He was overlooked by Team GB for the Rio Olympics in 2016 and this dream has been a decade in the making- that's how long he has been a member of Team GB boxing. Such is his maturity and stature within the Boxing ranks, that he has been selected as Team Captain.
As a super heavyweight, he's also following in some pretty famous footsteps. Lennox Lewis is the last boxer to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the World and his career was kick-started by winning the Gold for Canada in 1988.
Wladimir Klitschko won it for Ukraine in Atlanta in 1996 and many will remember Anthony Joshua's gold at London in 2012. Now though, Frazer believes it is his time. Listening to him talk about the Olympics you are left with no doubt that this is more than a competition for him. He has aspired to be called an Olympian and this in many ways is the result of a life's work.
But just because he's never been on the world's biggest stage, doesn't mean that he lacks experience. Gold and Silver at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships respectively sit alongside an array of medals from National Championships. Frazer has warned his opponents that being in the ring with him will be amongst the most difficult nine minutes of their life and few would argue with that assessment from the 6ft 6 powerhouse.
At the other end of the weight scale, Galal Yafai is going to his second games. The Birmingham born boxer fights at Flyweight and has won Gold at the Commonwealths and Silver at the European Championships. In Rio, he lost in his Round of 16 fight and so will be hoping to go much further this time around. The sport is clearly one of great importance to Galal and his family as both his brothers also box.
You have to go back to 1956 for the last time a British athlete won the Gold at Flyweight, Yafai will be hoping he can write his own name into the record books.
Galal and Frazer may be at opposite ends of the weight scale, but the two have struck up quite the friendship and regularly room together, there's certainly a lot of love and appreciation for each other's journey in the sport!
Our Midlands men trio is completed by Ben Whittaker who is a light heavyweight and won silver at the European Games and Bronze at the World Championships in 2019.
The fighter from Darlaston has previously moved up from Middleweight and hasn't looked back since. He started boxing at the young age of seven and his Dad even got him into learning dance to improve his footwork. Ranked 3rd in the world at light heavyweight, Ben will be hoping to make a name for himself in Tokyo.
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