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BOXING
14/03/2006 13:08 - (SA)
Melbourne - No Commonwealth nation features in the top 10 of world boxing with the amateur ranks dominated by the likes of Cuba, Russia and China.
At the last world championship in China in November, the only Commonwealth fighter to medal was England's Neil Perkins who picked up a bronze in the welterweight division.
That's not to say that there haven't been powerful role models who have progressed from Commonwealth champion to world professional king.
Lennox Lewis won the inaugural super-heavyweight gold as a Canadian fighter in 1986; Britain's Audley Harrison prefaced his Olympics gold in Sydney with a Commonwealth super-heavyweight win in 1998.
England's John Conteh (middleweight), Ghana's Azumah Nelson (featherweight) and Northern Ireland's Barry McGuigan (bantamweight) also converted success at this level into a world title in the professional ranks.
South Africa will have nine boxers competing in the different weight levels at this year's Games.
- SAPA
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