By Tom Degun

August 6 - The British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) today announced a revolutionary new competition to create an opportunity for the country's top boxers that are not in the GB Boxing squad to force their way into contention for the London 2012 Games and try to emulate Olympic gold medallist James DeGale.

 The GB Amateur Boxing Championship will be the biggest amateur boxing event to be staged in Britain for more than a decade and pit members of the current GB Boxing’s men and women’s Podium Squads against the best boxers from Scotland, England and Wales who will be selected by their respective Amateur Boxing Associations (ABAs).

If a boxer not currently part of the GB Boxing squad manages to win the Championship, they will have an automatic right to join the squad as a funded athlete for an assessment period and the opportunity to stake a claim to be selected for 2012.

Up to 6,000 tickets will be made available for the semi-finals and finals of the Championships which will be held at the Echo Arena Liverpool on Friday, November 12 and Saturday November 13, 2010.

GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken said: "This will be a high quality competition that will provide a real test for the existing GB boxers and have an influence on the make-up of the Olympic squad as we move into 2011.

"It is an opportunity for all of the competitors to showcase their skills and stake a claim to be part of the team for 2012."
John Moore, the Echo Arena Sports Manager, added: "We are delighted to bring this event to Liverpool.

"The city of Liverpool has a great passion for boxing and I am sure the Liverpool audience will welcome the opportunity to see Britain’s best amateur talent compete for the GB Championship and the opportunity to break into the GB Boxing squads for London 2012.

"Liverpool has a rich sporting tradition and has produced many champion boxers over the years and we hope this event provides the platform to continue that success."

Tickets for the event are priced from £10 to £30 and will be subject to a booking and handling fee.

More details are available by calling 0844 8000 400 or on-line by clicking here.

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