Iain Weaver
Encyclopedia
Iain Weaver is an English amateur boxer fighting in the 57 kg Featherweight category. He is a member of the England elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and recently won silver at the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
in Moscow.
and is a member of the Great Britain elite squad trained by Robert McCracken
and funded with money from the National Lottery. As a junior Weaver won two junior ABA titles in 2007 and 2008 he was also the Great Britain three nations gold medalist in the same years.
in Delhi
with a Silver medal at the 2010 European Championships
in Moscow
. On route to final Weaver had defeated the Spaniard Rodrigues Molina 11-3 in the 1st round, Sweden's Bashir Hassan-Salad 8-3 in the second and the Frenchman Oualid Belaoura in the quarter finals. A win over Ireland's Tyrone McCullagh in the semi-final set him up for a shot at Germany's Denis Makarov
in the final only for him to come undone by the Germans counter punching skills. The performance of Weaver at the championships drew praise from McCracken the head coach who claimed that the success of the younger boxers such as Weaver in Moscow would send out a positive message to the rest of the team. Weavers success in Moscow had also vindicated the decision of McCracken to pick him ahead of Luke Campbell
, a gold medalist at the European championships held in Liverpool in 2008. McCracken said of the decision "It doesn't matter if you're a reigning champion or number five in the world...You've got to prove yourself because there are others knocking on your door".
. Speaking of his achievement his dad Jay Weaver described the result as like "winning the lottery". Weaver defeated Olympic bronze medalist Bruno Julie
, India’s Commonwealth gold medallist Akhil Kumar
and Sri Lankan MDK Wanniarachchi in the final of the 56 kg category. Prior to the victory in the championships Weaver had also won gold in the 2008 junior championships held in Pune where he came from 4 points down to beat local fighter Vitas Krishna 16-10. Speaking again of his son's victory over Kumar in the 2010 competition Jay Weaver said "Akhil Kumar is a god in India. He’s phenomenal, so for Iain to beat him the way he did is some achievement. It stands him in good stead for the main Commonwealth Games in October." Weaver was selected in the England team to contest the main Commonwealth Games in 2010
which were again held in Delhi. He defeated Vusie Simelane of Swaziland
10-1 to set up a quarter final clash against Kumar, the home town favourite. Kumar however proved to be too wily for the Englishman and came out a 11-6 winner to avenge his defeat earlier in the year before a vocal crowd.
, the World champion in 2007 said "Iain is the best prospect I have seen for a while. I am sure he will win a medal at the 2012 Olympics". On 13 November 2010 Weaver took part in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool
and televised on BBC
television. In the final of the tournament Weaver met former European amateur champion Luke Campbell
but lost by the substantial margin of 23-6 meaning that Campbell who had struggled with injury over the previous year re-established himself as a contender in the bantamweight division with Weaver who had not competed since the Commonwealth Games looking sluggish.
2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Moscow, Russia from June 4 to June 13, 2010. It was the 38th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EUBC.- Medal winners:...
in Moscow.
Amateur career
Weaver boxes for Golden Ring ABC in SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and is a member of the Great Britain elite squad trained by Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken is a former British middleweight boxer and world title challenger from Birmingham, England. Robert worked as a wood machinist at Hoskins Cabinet Works, Bordesley, Birmingham before turning to boxing.He was affectionately known as "boxing Bob". McCracken turned pro in 1991 in the...
and funded with money from the National Lottery. As a junior Weaver won two junior ABA titles in 2007 and 2008 he was also the Great Britain three nations gold medalist in the same years.
European Championships
Weaver recently all but booked his place in the team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
with a Silver medal at the 2010 European Championships
2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Moscow, Russia from June 4 to June 13, 2010. It was the 38th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EUBC.- Medal winners:...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. On route to final Weaver had defeated the Spaniard Rodrigues Molina 11-3 in the 1st round, Sweden's Bashir Hassan-Salad 8-3 in the second and the Frenchman Oualid Belaoura in the quarter finals. A win over Ireland's Tyrone McCullagh in the semi-final set him up for a shot at Germany's Denis Makarov
Denis Makarov
Denis Makarov is a Russian ice hockey player who is currently playing for HC Spartak Moscow team in Russia.-References:...
in the final only for him to come undone by the Germans counter punching skills. The performance of Weaver at the championships drew praise from McCracken the head coach who claimed that the success of the younger boxers such as Weaver in Moscow would send out a positive message to the rest of the team. Weavers success in Moscow had also vindicated the decision of McCracken to pick him ahead of Luke Campbell
Luke Campbell (boxer)
Luke Campbell is an English amateur boxer who won a gold medal at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships in the bantamweight division.-Senior ABA titles:...
, a gold medalist at the European championships held in Liverpool in 2008. McCracken said of the decision "It doesn't matter if you're a reigning champion or number five in the world...You've got to prove yourself because there are others knocking on your door".
Commonwealth championships
Prior to the European championships Weaver had enjoyed more success in March winning gold at the Commonwealth boxing championships in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Speaking of his achievement his dad Jay Weaver described the result as like "winning the lottery". Weaver defeated Olympic bronze medalist Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie is a bantamweight boxer from Mauritius who won a number of medals in international tournaments and competed in the 2008 Olympics when he won the first-ever Olympic medal for the island of Mauritius-Career:...
, India’s Commonwealth gold medallist Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an “Open Guarded” boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in international Boxing...
and Sri Lankan MDK Wanniarachchi in the final of the 56 kg category. Prior to the victory in the championships Weaver had also won gold in the 2008 junior championships held in Pune where he came from 4 points down to beat local fighter Vitas Krishna 16-10. Speaking again of his son's victory over Kumar in the 2010 competition Jay Weaver said "Akhil Kumar is a god in India. He’s phenomenal, so for Iain to beat him the way he did is some achievement. It stands him in good stead for the main Commonwealth Games in October." Weaver was selected in the England team to contest the main Commonwealth Games in 2010
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
which were again held in Delhi. He defeated Vusie Simelane of Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
10-1 to set up a quarter final clash against Kumar, the home town favourite. Kumar however proved to be too wily for the Englishman and came out a 11-6 winner to avenge his defeat earlier in the year before a vocal crowd.
Domestic Honours
Domestically Weaver was crowned ABA champion in 2009 with a win over Blain Younis beating him 19-14 in the final. It was the first time Weaver had fought in the senior ABA's following success in the juniors in the preceding two years. Speaking of the win Frankie GavinFrankie Gavin (boxer)
Frankie Raymond Gavin is a British professional boxer from Birmingham who, whilst an amateur, won the gold medal at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships to become English boxing's first ever World Amateur champion....
, the World champion in 2007 said "Iain is the best prospect I have seen for a while. I am sure he will win a medal at the 2012 Olympics". On 13 November 2010 Weaver took part in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
GB Amateur Boxing Championships
The Great Britain Amateur Boxing Championships is an amateur boxing tournament, founded in 2010, in which boxers from England, Scotland and Wales compete over a two day period.- 2010 GB Boxing Championships :...
held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and televised on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television. In the final of the tournament Weaver met former European amateur champion Luke Campbell
Luke Campbell
Luke Campbell may refer to: * Luther Campbell, aka Luke, rapper and 2011 Miami, Florida mayoral candidate* Luke Campbell , English amateur boxer* Luke Campbell, character in Heroes...
but lost by the substantial margin of 23-6 meaning that Campbell who had struggled with injury over the previous year re-established himself as a contender in the bantamweight division with Weaver who had not competed since the Commonwealth Games looking sluggish.