Army boxers prepare for England Amateur National Boxing Championships
Two Army boxers are set to take to the ring at the England Boxing National Championships this weekend in Newcastle.
Lance Corporal Terri Stuart and Private Jerry-Lee Palmer will represent the British Army at the championships after successfully qualifying to the event.
LCpl Stuart has enjoyed a quick rise up the amateur boxing ranks after making it to the semi-final stage of the championships last year and says she has "progressed a lot" thanks to the boxing programme the Army provides.
She said: "Over the last two years or a year-and-a-half, I have progressed a lot.
"I think that has a lot to do with the Army Boxing Team and the setup we've got here, the way we train, everything is just so planned to the last detail, it's helping me progress that much faster."
LCpl Stuart will box in the women's 63kg belt against Manchester-based boxer Michelle Cox, and she had the chance to watch her rival at the semi-final stage of their competition ahead of their bout in Newcastle.
She said: "She boxed at the weekend as well, so we've looked at the footage, we are setting up a game plan, but from now we are just sharpening, sharpening them tools, feeling good.
"We are not going to get any fitter, it's just about being more switched on as you can be and feeling the bets and putting on a good performance."
Army teammate Pte Palmer will also bout at the National Championships for the women's middleweight belt.
Raised in Tenerife and a previous Spanish title winner, Pte Palmer joined the British Army Reserves to further her boxing career.
As number one seed, she is feeling positive after a series of pre-bouts before the championships.
She said: "We've had a good camp, lots of sparring two or three times a week.
"I have had a pre-bout just before the championships which put me in a very good spot on our home show, and we have had the England Youth Team come over last week, so it's kind of like I had a quarter and a semi-final.
"I did 11 rounds in one day, so I am very much prepared for it on Saturday."
Pte Palmer will face Mary-Kate Smith in her bout, and the RLC soldier is confident that her fitness will help her to beat her opponent.
She said: "She did a great job in the semi-finals, she is a little bit shorter and stockier than me.
"So we are coming home with a strategy to over come that and I think I will be the stronger, fitter position on the day and hopefully, raising that belt, I'll show that."
Congratulations to Army boxer Pte Jerry-Lee Palmer RLC who is through to the final of the England Boxing National Amateur Championships ?
— British Army Sport (@ArmySportASCB) April 19, 2023
For reaching the final, Pte Palmer will attend a @gbboxing and @England_Boxing Assessment Camp at their base in Sheffield @RLCCorpsSMpic.twitter.com/0B1fv0ywwA
In reaching the final, both boxers will attend an assessment day with the Great Britain team at their base in Sheffield, where title winning success to path the way to greater exploits in the boxing ring.
"I work so hard in the gym," LCpl Stuart said. "Not only to make myself proud, but the team for all the hard work they have put into me, my family for supporting me, my regiment, the Army, it'll just mean everything to me."
The England Boxing National Amateur Championships take place in Newcastle on Saturday 22 April.
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