Charley Davison to become a two-time Olympian; mum-of-three had seven years out of boxing before returning to reach the Tokyo Olympics; Davison and team-mate Rosie Eccles both qualify for Paris 2024 after reaching the semi-finals of the European Games
Wednesday 28 June 2023 15:58, UK
Britain's Charley Davison and Rosie Eccles have both secured Olympic qualification at the European Games in Poland.
Davison will become a two-time Olympian after she beat Sweden's Zehra Milli by unanimous decision to guarantee a place at the Olympics in Paris next year.
Davison was one of the stories of the last Olympic cycle. The mother-of-three had been out of the sport for seven years raising her children. But she came back to boxing to win the national championships and was a surprise selection for the 2020 GB Olympic team.
She qualified for the Tokyo Games and boxed in Japan at the delayed event in 2021.
But she did not medal then and is determined to do so next year. She stayed with the GB squad and moved up a division to 54kgs.
The European Games was the Olympic qualification event for GB boxers and Davison, like Eccles, needed to reach the semi-finals to be assured of a place at Paris 2024.
Both needed to win their quarter-finals, and Davison widely outpointed Sweden Milli, winning every round for every judge.
Davison boxed well with long straight southpaw combinations, moving round the Swede on the backfoot to become the first British boxer to qualify for the Paris Games.
"It's going to take time to sink in, just like the first time. But this means so much more to me. I feel I'm more experienced now and I can go to the top," Davison said afterwards.
"I'm going to the top, honestly."
Eccles dramatically rallied from conceding the first round to Ireland's Amy Broadhurst. The skilled Irish southpaw countered Eccles with well-placed right hooks. But the Welsh 66kg-fighter powered forward with high volume attacks to slam her right cross through.
They finished working desperately hard and it was Eccles who took a split decision win.
Eccles was almost overcome with emotion afterwards. Through tears she said: "I've got no words. I just thought after everything that's happened, it was too good to happen to me. I kept coming back, grinding away. When you want something so bad it just feels impossible."
She added: "Amy is one of the people I admire more than anyone in the boxing world. She's been through some rough patches like me and honestly I wish that was the final.
"Charley, that we qualified together, we roomed together, we lived together, we cried together and now we win together."
It was an impressive result for the Welsh Commonwealth Games champion Eccles. Broadhurst, as well as being a gold medallist at the Commonwealths, also won World and European gold medals in the weight class below.
Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington is on the same Ireland team at lightweight, Broadhurst has moved up to 66kgs as she seeks to realise her Olympic dream. Harrington also qualified for Paris on Wednesday after beating Sweden Agnes Alexiusson.
There will be two more world qualification events next year.
