'To win would mean everything': 1 Royal Anglians prepare for Army Boxing final
The coach of 1st Batallion The Royal Anglian Regiment boxing team, Corporal Jordan Dyer, said it would "mean everything" for the Vikings to win the Army Inter Units Boxing final for the first time.
The Cyprus-based regiment made it to the final for the first time in their history after they beat 1 LANCS in the Army Boxing semi-final in Episkopi, Cyprus.
They will face the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment in the final in Aldershot which Cpl Dyer says is a "big achievement in itself".
He said: "I think the furthest our team has ever got is the semi-final, so it's really good to get to the final this year.
"It is the first time we have had a boxing team for many years, so it's really good to get in.
"It would mean everything, it's everything we have trained for so, since our battalion formed this boxing team 18 months ago, our main aim was this major units, so to get to the final is a big achievement in itself, but to win would mean everything."
The last time the Royal Anglians faced 2 PARA, they were knocked out by the PARA's in the Army Boxing semi-final.
One boxer who is looking to make an impact in Aldershot is Private Lucas Fosington, who says the team is "very excited" about making it to the final.
He said: "It has been our first year doing it ... and we went straight to the finals on our first try so I think everyone is very excited about it.
"There's all these other teams like the PARAS and the LANCS, they have had a boxing team for a long time now, whereas we have just come in and straight to the final."
The Captain of the Vikings, Lance Corporal Kieran Cocker, said the team has been "putting in the work" as they hope to bring "the Viking spirit" as they go up against 2 PARA.
He said: "We have been putting in the work and we have been looking at that and we have been dealing with it.
"We will see on the night what happens, but I think we are all buzzing, we are all in good hopes and I think we are going to do the job.
"Just the Viking spirit, we all gel together, we are going to come in and we are going to put it all out there and wear our hearts on our sleeves.
"We are going to go in there on the night and we are going to come away with the win, that's what we all think and that's what we are going to do."
As well as a mutual love for boxing, the team will also be wearing pink t-shirts to raise funds for the daughter of a former Viking so his daughter can undergo clinical trials for a brain tumour.
The night of action will be broadcast on the Forces News YouTube Channel on 27 April with a 19:00 start time while serving personnel can watch on catch-up via BFBS TV.
Find out more about how you can watch here.
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