Frankie Gavin is not going to Beijing

[sweetscience]

28 isnt too old if you want to just be an AM

you can get to a decent level in about 3 years if you have any natural sporting ability, me and others from my club were boxing internationals in our 2nd/3rd season but we had a seriously tough matchmaker

[Crease]

Hey guys, I am posting this thread because of my anger and frustration at Frankie Gavin and his antics...

The GB Boxing team:

David Price (Super Heavyweight)
Tony Jeffries (Light Heavyweight)
James DeGale (Middleweight)
Billy Joe Saunders (Welterweight)
Bradley Saunders (Light Welterweight)
FRANKIE GAVIN (Lightweight)
Joe Murray Bantamweight
Khalid Yafai Flyweight

For months now, the British public have been hearing a hell of a lot of acclaim for this boxing team... Recently they have been labelled "potentially the most promising boxing lineup we've ever produced" and we have been hearing that each of the fighter have a decent chance of getitng medal at their own respective weights...

HOWEVER, this lineup was spear-headed by Franke Gavin, whom it is said the other boxers look up to because he's that little more experiecd... Gavin was promising, over a 120 amateur fights, 85% of them wins... A World Championship gold medal to back all that up as well....

I remember back in 2004 that everyone didn't want Kahan to go professional (after his rematch against Kindelan) BUT, everyone wanted to see Kahan face-off against Frankie Gavin in a "best of british" battle... But Kahn refused and became professional...

Gavin (Clearly smarming at this) laughed it off, saying stuff like "Amir just didn't want to fight me" and the like....

THEN, just last week, Gavin was saying that being "favourite" doesn't mean anything and that he still has to work hard.
THEN, he said, that he didn't know if he could stay amateur after the 2008 Olympics necause of the ££££ in amateur boxing.. He said that he did wnat to represent Britain in London 2012, but he has to take it step-by-step...

I didn't mind Frankie being a biot arrogant... In my mind boxers should be confident...

Now, the wanker can't even make it a weight.... FUCKSAKE, what was all the hype for? Frankie Gavin basked in the emdia-frenzy, gloried in the spotlight of being one of our "strong hopefuls"... Then he can't even make a weight to get his first fight.

H'es a proper dickhead this one, I don't think that I'll be rating him as highly as I done before... Proper let-down this was.

[Coco]

If he can't do the weight he can't do the weight
Unless he has already done a deal with FW

[bennie]

For those with long memories, Jim Watt also had problems with lightweight back in 1968 and opted to stay at home. One John H. Stracey went to Mexico City instead (Watt had sparked Stracey in the first round a little earlier) and was eliminated by American southpaw nightmare Ronnie Harris, who went on to win the gold.

[Crease]

Please odn't compare Gavin to any previous fighters... This guy had the hopes of GB with him, and he delighted in it... He was always willing to give an interview for the BBC or "Inside Sport", I really didn't mind that as long as he got into the ring and done his best...

And nearly everyone in the world was under the impression that if Gavin foguth "his best", then the gold medal would have his name on it...

In the "Inside Sport" article, Gavin said tha tthe GB team were working extremly hard and maing "eceptional progress"... Now we find out that he can't even make the weight....

We shouldn't have brought him, cut his funding!!!!!

Let him go it alone!!!!

[Horse]

He couldn't make the weight, that doesn't make him a disgrace. I am sure his team knew about it and tried their best to get his weight down.

What is he meant to have done wrong?

[Coco]

It's not like Gavin has been sitting in the pub eating burgers for the last 6 months.
The fact he has only competed at 10 st after the worlds shows there was an issue.
I'm sure the team was aware of the situation, the boys have been in constant training camp

[Gray-Fox]

Kerry Kayes was advising him so I hear.

[sweetscience]

28 isnt too old if you want to just be an AM

you can get to a decent level in about 3 years if you have any natural sporting ability, me and others from my club were boxing internationals in our 2nd/3rd season but we had a seriously tough matchmaker

what about pro boxing at 28 with little or no amateur experience but you have very very good natural talent.

there is levels and levels, i doubt you would get to domestic class unless your a heavy wthout ama ex

anyone can turn pro and win if you have some sporting ability and sell tickets

[Gray-Fox]

28 isnt too old if you want to just be an AM

you can get to a decent level in about 3 years if you have any natural sporting ability, me and others from my club were boxing internationals in our 2nd/3rd season but we had a seriously tough matchmaker

what about pro boxing at 28 with little or no amateur experience but you have very very good natural talent.

Even if you have good talent, with no experience no serious promoter is going to take you. Also I don't believe you do have good talent with little no experience. Talent is honed by experience.

[Twinkle Toes]

Thing that bothers me is the way they have obviously tried to wing it.

There is enough experience in that camp that they couldn't not know what the situation was/is long before now.

[Horse]

Thing that bothers me is the way they have obviously tried to wing it.

There is enough experience in that camp that they couldn't not know what the situation was/is long before now.

How were they meant to handle it?

[sweetscience]

so was the last time he made 60kg the morning of the Worlds final or what ?????????????

[SOUTHPAW]

Its the Olympics.....of cause hes his going to say he is going to make the weight who wouldnt the fact they have pulled him out is for his own safty i bet he would have wanted to try and make the weight.If he came home Olympic champion a lot more 0'S would be at the end of his signing on fee with who ever......you cant knock him for trying who wouldnt

[Crease]

You cna knock him for this being all "hushed up" and for him being secretive and sly...

Every/any boxer that goes to the Olymipics wnats to do his best and give a good account of himself... Now, he can't... It would have been very easy for him to be honest about this and not fly out to Beijing, there might have been some turmoil about that... But boxing fans and pundits would admire his honesty about it...

Now, as it stands, we are a man down, and our best hope is waiting for the next plane home... Hardly worth the while I imagine...

[Twinkle Toes]

How were they meant to handle it?

How about, better than they have?

If he has been struggling with weight for months, as every Tom, Dick and Harry is suddenly coming out of the woodwork stating, then the camp (who I am sure knew more than most) should have addressed it a lot sooner than a day or two before the start of the Olympics.

Like I say, they've tried to wing it and it has back fired - Bunch of cowboys, and a complete waste of lottery funding.

[EddieShredder]

28 isnt too old if you want to just be an AM

you can get to a decent level in about 3 years if you have any natural sporting ability, me and others from my club were boxing internationals in our 2nd/3rd season but we had a seriously tough matchmaker

what about pro boxing at 28 with little or no amateur experience but you have very very good natural talent.

Even if you have good talent, with no experience no serious promoter is going to take you. Also I don't believe you do have good talent with little no experience. Talent is honed by experience.

I think there's levels of "natural talent" aswell... I'd say i'm quite naturally talented at boxing, compared to your average man on the street, and always did ok/held my own at the gym with local amatuers. A couple of mates are pro's though (not big names), and the difference in "natural talent", and overall ability is massive...

One of them is a naturally talented fighter, good amatuer experience, hard as nails, and didn't turn pro until he was around 28/29. He is always the opponent, and ultimately a journeyman.

I don't know what sort of level you're looking to get, but bare in mind unless you've spent a lot of time in gyms sparring properly since your teens, i'd imagine you'll struggle at pro level. That said I don't know you, or your background.

Have a read of "Looking for a fight" by David Matthews.... A journalist who wonders how hard it would be to have a pro fight with no previous boxing experience - good read

[Crease]

Twinkle Toes,

Couldnt agree more... My hat goes off to you, lad.

[Horse]

How were they meant to handle it?

How about, better than they have?

Care to elaborate?

If he has been struggling with weight for months, as every Tom, Dick and Harry is suddenly coming out of the woodwork stating, then the camp (who I am sure knew more than most) should have addressed it a lot sooner than a day or two before the start of the Olympics.

How do you know they only addressed it a day or two before the Olympic games? What should they have done?

Like I say, they've tried to wing it and it has back fired - Bunch of cowboys, and a complete waste of lottery funding.

How is it a complete waste? Gavin won a World championship for God's sake.

[allworld80]

[Mowgli]

According to britishboxing.net this is the latest.....Team GB's boxing head coach Terry Edwards has shed further light on lightweight boxer Frankie Gavin's withdrawal from the boxing squad for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Gavin left the BOA Preparation Camp in Macau on Thursday (August 7) after failing to reach the –60kg weight limit for his class, and Edwards explained: “We always said it was going to be a struggle, and obviously it was a struggle for young Frankie.

“He gave 110 per cent but if you understand the weight-making process it is the last bit, where you have to shed the water, that is crucial.

“In the climate in Macau he had obviously shed a lot of water and body fluid, and he then became extremely dehydrated.

“In the end there was nothing left to come off and at that stage I took the responsibility of withdrawing him simply because I didn't want Frankie to suffer any ill-effects to his health from being that dehydrated. He needed to shed another 3lbs and in the end that proved too much.

“We gave him the best opportunity, with a nutritionist, a physiologist, a sports psychologist. I have to say again, Frank gave us 110 per cent, as he always has done, and he was bitterly disappointed.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

28 isnt too old if you want to just be an AM

you can get to a decent level in about 3 years if you have any natural sporting ability, me and others from my club were boxing internationals in our 2nd/3rd season but we had a seriously tough matchmaker

what about pro boxing at 28 with little or no amateur experience but you have very very good natural talent.

It depends on your physical level, if you havent got boxing experience you better have some serious experience in some sporting field.

So say your background is simply lifting heavy in the gym and your a light heavyweight who can bench 400lbs (around 4plates a side) and squat 600lbs (6plates a side) and run a mile under 5 miniutes you will have a serious physical advantage that makes up for your lack of technical boxing ability.

Another issue is percentage bodyfat if your fighting under heavyweight it needs to be very low for you to be competitive and this is a bigger issue for you than the skilled fighter with 20years of technical experience

Who did start boxing late? I think Lyle started at around 28, Klitchko victim Thompson started at 28 I think

[Gray-Fox]

I don't know why people are so bothered. Going on like he's the next coming of Sugar Ray Robinson...there are other good fighters to watch.

[ArtOfWar]

The problem with starting late is your always gonna be fighting against the clock as well as your opponants.

[Crease]

Still doens't change the fact that they knew he was struggling to make the weight... And that because of Frankie Gavin's inability to make weight, GB boxing are a man down...

PLUS, He was 3 pounds over!!! Not just a pund... 3 POUNDS!!!!