DONCASTER boxer Jamie McDonnell is hoping that a broken hand doesn't stop him going to next month's Olympic Games in China.
The English bantamweight champion, who was due to have his pot off today, is one of several South Yorkshire professional boxers to have been lined up to spar with the Great Britain Olympic squad prior to the Beijing Games.
"The Great Britain squad came to the Sheffield gym that I train at when they were based at the English Institute of Sport in the city for some sparring," said the 21-year-old.
"They were pleased how it went and I was one of the people who was offered an all-expences-paid trip out to China to do some light sparring. The idea is to stay over there for a week to ten days and fly back two days before the Games start.
"I was told that I could be back in light training within six to eight weeks after having the hand, which I broke at work, pinned, and it will be six weeks on the day I am supposed to fly out."
Having boxed in the Junior Olympics in America four years ago, the former Junior ABA champion says the thought that he could have been in the Great Britain team had he not turned professional at 18 had crossed his mind in recent weeks.
"I did think that it could have been me going to the Games when I sparred with the Great Britain squad because a lot of the lads were in the England junior team the same time as me," he said.
"If I hadn't turned professional when I did I would probably have been lost to the sport because I had packed in a year earlier because I wanted go out more with my mates."
What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Football headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 351 words and appears in Doncaster Star newspaper.
