Charley Davison: Mother-of-three to fight for Olympic place
- Published
Charley Davison is the English national amateur champion in the -54kg category.
As a mother of three, Charley Davison thought her boxing days were over.
She took a seven-year break from the ring as she started a family having won a European youth gold medal and a world silver as a teenager.
But the 26-year-old flyweight from Lowestoft is now dreaming of Tokyo after being selected for this weekend's Great Britain qualifying event.
"I didn't think I'd come back to be honest," she said. "I didn't think I'd be able to cope or to train."
Davison added: "I've got a lot of support around me. I initially went to the gym to try to lose a bit of weight but I've not looked back."
Davison, who sparred with double gold medallist Nicola Adams in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, says she uses her children, aged seven, five and three, as extra motivation.
She is the English national amateur champion in the -54kg category.
"Being mum a is a lot harder than being a boxer," she said. "I drop the children off at school or nursery and go to the gym.
"Being a mum has helped me a lot. It has made me more determined and more strong-minded. I do it for the children, its not just a hobby, I do it for them.
"I didn't think I would come back to boxing after having children but as soon as I stepped back in the boxing club I thought I'd see how far I could take it and now I want to go to Tokyo. I've just got to take my chance and get to Tokyo.
"I think I'm a talented boxer, believed in myself and that's helped me.
"It would mean so much to make Olympics. It's everything I've dreamed off since I was eight years old. It would take a long time to sink in."
Qualifying squad named
On Thursday, Davison was named as one of the eight men and five women taking part in qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games. The Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic Qualifying event takes place at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, from 14 March 2020.
They will box for Great Britain at the tournament which will see more than 350 boxers from over 40 countries compete for 77 places at Tokyo 2020.
The group includes three boxers that won medals at the 2019 world championships in Russia, welterweight Pat McCormack, featherweight Peter McGrail and light-heavyweight Ben Whittaker.
They are joined by four boxers that won silver at the 2017 European championships in Ukraine: flyweight Galal Yafai, light-welterweight Luke McCormack, heavyweight Cheavon Clarke and super-heavyweight Frazer Clarke.
Wales' 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Sammy Lee, completes the men's line-up, having moved down a weight from light-heavyweight (81kg), to claim the middleweight (75kg) spot.
The five women include the recently crowned world champion, Lauren Price, at middleweight. She is joined by fellow world championship medallist, Karriss Artingstall at featherweight and 2019 European championship bronze medallist, Rosie Eccles at welterweight.
Two recent additions to the GB Boxing squad complete the line-up with Caroline Dubois selected at lightweight and Charley Davison getting the nod at flyweight.
- Published7 December 2019
