England name powerful boxing team for Commonwealths

By Sportsbeat staff

KHALID Yafai, Iain Weaver and Tom Stalker will all be looking to upgrade their European Championship silver medals after being named in the England boxing team for October's Commonwealth Games.

AMBITIOUS: England's Khalid Yafai will look to claim his first major international medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi (Action Images)

The trio are the star names in a ten-strong squad that includes Beijing Olympian Bradley Saunders and youngster Callum Smith, whose brothers have won Commonwealth medals in Manchester and Melbourne.

Meanwhile, light heavyweight Obed Mbwakongo will be hoping that the Commonwealth Games provides the perfect pathway to success on his home patch come 2012. He lives in the Olympic borough of Lewisham and his dad drives a London cab.

 "This is an important part of our preparations for London 2012 and I am looking for the team to build on the success we had at the recent European Championships and continue the tradition of our boxers doing well at the Commonwealth Games," said GB Boxing's performance director Rob McCracken.

England came home from Melbourne with an impressive haul of five gold medals, one silver and two bronzes – winning medals in eight out of the 11 weight divisions. In the history of the Games they top the medal table, with 106 medals, including 47 golds.

England boxing squad for the Commonwealth Games, October 3-14 2010 

49kg: Tommy Stubbs (Light flyweight)

52kg: Khalid Yafai (Flyweight)  

56kg: Iain Weaver (Featherweight) 

60kg: Tom Stalker (Lightweight) 

64kg: Bradley Saunders (Light Welterweight) 

69kg: Callum Smith (Welterweight) 

75kg: Anthony Ogogo (Middleweight) 

81kg: Obed Mbwakongo (Light heavyweight) 

91kg: Simon Vallily (Heavyweight)

91kg+: Amin Isa (Super Heavyweight)