Britain the New Cuba

Britain have earned a seventh slot in the Beijing Olympic boxing programme after Billy Joe Saunders qualified for the welterweight division over the weekend. The 19-year-old from the traveller community, whose great-grandfather was a bareknuckled fairground champion, beat Slovak Pavol Hlavacka in a bronze medal box-off at the penultimate European qualifying event in Pescara, Italy on Sunday, from where Khalid Yafai and James Degale had earlier qualified. There is the possibility that Britain could earn four more berths in the final event in Athens next month -- a stark contrast to four years ago when the country had only one boxer at the Athens Games - lightweight silver medallist Amir Khan. Britain's head boxing coach Terry Edwards said Khan's performance and the extra funding for the sport it inspired was the key to the country's resurgence and could help make Britain the dominant force when they host the Games in 2012. "If we are able to keep this current structure in place and go forward as we are now, I truly believe that by the time the London Olympics come around, we will be the new Cuba of amateur boxing," Edwards told the BBC. Amateur Boxing Association chairman Keith Walters said: "We can go to the Beijing Olympics and win three gold medals. "Two years ago, if I'd even said we would get three qualified for Beijing you would probably have locked me up." (Editing by Ossian Shine) ("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china) Britain could have Eleven boxers at the Beijing Olympics. Compared to one just four years ago. In response to another thread 'Floyd revived boxing.' Not in this country it didn't. I think it's Amir Khan. That's why I find it hard to critcise him, no matter how good he does or does not turn out to be.