Three recent European silver medalists – Khalid Yafai, Iain Weaver and Tom Stalker - are on England’s Commonwealth Games boxing team-sheet, announced today


And for Liverpool’s 20 year-old Callum Smith the call-up means the chance to follow two of his brothers who each won a medal at the last two Games.

Paul Smith won silver in the 71kg (light middleweight) in Manchester in 2002 whilst Stephen took gold in the 57kg (featherweight) class in Melbourne in 2006.  Callum will fight in Delhi in the 69kg class (welterweight).

Of the 10 boxers announced by England today, two are also Beijing Olympians – Khalid Yafai (52kg) and Bradley Saunders (64kg).  

Stubbs, Yafai, Saunders and Weaver are also former Commonwealth Youth Games medalists whilst Anthony Ogogo (75kg) won Youth Olympic gold in 2004.

Today’s selection lists boxers from as far afield as Middlesbrough and Liverpool in the North and from Dorset in the South West across to Lowestoft in the East and London in the South.

Meanwhile, light heavyweight Obed Mbwakongo, 21,will be hoping that the Commonwealth Games provides the perfect pathway to success on his home patch come 2012. He lives in Lewisham and his dad drives a London cab.

“Boxing has an impressive track record at recent Games”, said Craig Hunter, England’s Chef de Mission for Delhi. “I’m delighted to welcome these 10 boxers into the team and wish them every success with their final training camps in Sheffield and in Delhi itself”.

All 10 of the England boxers are part of the elite GB Boxing squad and train at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield under the guidance of Performance Director, Rob McCracken.

Rob McCracken said: "This is an important part of our preparations for 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.”

England’s boxers have performed consistently well at recent Commonwealth Games, topping the medal table at the Melbourne 2006 Games and finishing runners-up to Australia, despite accumulating the most medals overall, in Manchester four years earlier.

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.

Boxing has appeared on the programme for every Commonwealth Games to date. England top the all-time medal table having won 106 medals, including 47 golds – almost twice as many golds as Canada, in second place, with 24.

England’s boxers for Delhi 2010

49kg:    Tommy Stubbs (Light flyweight)
Born:  26.2.90, Munster, Germany; Lives: Oldham, Lancs

52kg:    Khalid Yafai (Flyweight)
Born 11.06.89, Birmingham; Lives:  Birmingham

56kg:    Iain Weaver (Featherweight)
Born 17.01.90, Dorchester, Dorset; Lives: Ferndown, East Dorset

60kg:     Tom Stalker (Lightweight)
Born 30.06.84,  Liverpool;  Lives: Liverpool

64kg:    Bradley Saunders (Light Welterweight)
Born 04.02.86; Stockton-on-Tees; Lives: Stockton-on-Tees

69kg:    Callum Smith (Welterweight)
Born 23.04.90, Liverpool; Lives: Liverpool

75kg:    Anthony Ogogo (Middleweight)
Born 24.11.88 Great Yarmouth;  Lives:  Lowestoft, Suffolk

81kg:    Obed Mbwakongo (Light heavyweight)
Born 06.04.89 Kinsasha, Democratic Republic of Congo; Lives: Lewisham, London

91kg:    Simon Vallily (Heavyweight)
Born 15.08.85, Middlesbrough;  Lives: Middlesbrough

91kg+: Amin Isa (Super Heavyweight)
Born 10.9.83 London; Lives: London.


The 2010 Commonwealth Games take place in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. They will feature 17 sports - archery, aquatics (swimming, synchronised swimming & diving), athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby 7s, shooting, squash, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. With the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Commonwealth Games England is entering a breath-taking four years of sport.

Commonwealth Games England (GCE) is the organisation responsible for selecting and organising England's team at the Commonwealth Games. England finished second to Australia on the medal table at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games with 36 golds, 40 silvers and 34 bronzes.

Sport England is responsible for building the foundations of sporting success, by creating a world-leading community sport system of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers. Their focus is growing and sustaining the numbers of people taking part in sport and improving talent development to help more people excel.