Can the Army continue their winning streak at the Inter Services Boxing Championships?
Forces boxers are back in the boxing ring as fighters from across the services look to make an impact at the Inter Services Boxing Championships in Plymouth.
The Army have been Inter Services champions since 2019, mostly due to the fact that the events in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to Covid-19.
But nonetheless, the Army returned to Inter Services boxing in a big way in 2022 as they successfully defended their title at RAF Halton.
The Army's quest to defend their title won't be easy, however, as the Navy and the RAF look to knock them off the top spot this year.
The Navy last won the Inter Services in 2018 at the home of Army boxing, where they ended a historic run of 34 years without a win.
The RAF have not won the Inter Services title since 1972 after years of being up against full-time boxers in the Army and the Navy, but the light blues have made steps forwards in recent years to put up a challenge to the Army and the Navy.
The 2023 Inter Services boxing championships take place in the evening of Thursday 9 March at HMS Drake in Plymouth, and you can watch it LIVE on the Forces News YouTube channel from 7pm or on catch-up via BFBS TV (for serving personnel only).
Key fighters
Britney Walker – Royal Navy
Weight category: 54kg
The Navy's Young Sportsperson of the Year, Britney Walker made history last year after winning the first-ever women's UKAF title fight and later went on to win her division at the Women's Winter Box Cup. At the Navy Sports Awards, Walker spoke of her desire to win an elite title and to one day turn professional.
Bradley Axe – Royal Air Force
Weight Category: 75kg
The RAF Akrotiri-based corporal is the vice-captain of the RAF boxing team. He is the 2022 UKAF Champion and has won medals at the Western County Championships, the Limossol Box Cup and the Riveria Box Cup.
Lily Devlin – Army
Weight Category: 57kg
An up-and-coming talent, Lily Devlin is a national semi-finalist and recently took up the role of vice-captain of the Army Boxing Team. With the first female bout only taking place last year, this year will be Devlin's first-ever UKAF bout.
Did you know?
Military boxers have gone on to have successful careers in elite and professional boxing. One of them is former British Army gunner Karriss Artingstall, who became the first-ever female Army boxer to qualify for an Olympic Games and went on to win Olympic bronze in Tokyo 2020. She now boxes professionally after signing a deal with Boxxer.
Other Army stars include Megan Reid who boxed for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and Army Sportsman of the Year Carnell Brown, who won a national title at the 2021 England Boxing National Amateur Championships.
Jon Knighton, Sports Editor, BFBS Sport, says:
The Inter Services Boxing tournament is, for me, one of the forces sporting highlights of the year. Dominated for so long by the Army, in recent years the Royal Navy knocked on the door for more than 30 years without success, before taking the title in 2018. They have been joined by the RAF who have some very talented boxers in their stable.
It is also great to see female boxers doing so well. One only has to look at the likes of Olympic Bronze medallist and now pro fighter, Kariss Artingstall, to see the talent that is there among forces women and there will be at least one female bout on this year's card. My hope is that one day, until they get their own championship, female bouts will be counted towards the overall Inter Services title.
It could be a solution to one of the biggest frustrations in military boxing. That is the number of walk-over bouts that happen, when there simply are not enough of the lighter weight match-ups from the Royal Navy or the RAF to take on soldiers in the ring.
Last year, as has been the case more times than I care to mention, the Army had virtually sewn up the title because of walkovers before a single punch had been thrown. This year, too, it is likely that we will be denied at least three bouts because of this. Inappropriate match-ups will never happen for obvious safety reasons.
Match-ups have to be very carefully made, which is why so few of the fights at this level end up as knockouts or stoppages and they are all the better for it.
It takes a huge amount of bravery and skill to step into the ring, at any level of boxing, but what we will see on the 9th of March will be the cream of forces boxing in action. Add the intimate atmosphere of the Senior Ratings Mess at HMS Drake and it will be a night not to be missed.
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