Dubois to start Boxing Road to Tokyo event
Daniel Dubois and Caroline Dubois (pic Kirsty O'Connor/PA) - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Caroline Dubois will represent GB Boxing in the first bout of the Boxing Road to Tokyo Olympic qualifying event which gets underway at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London today.
The unbeaten 19-year old sister of heavyweight star Daniel and current BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year will box Ala Staradub of Belarus in her first-ever bout as a senior as she starts her campaign to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in the women's lightweight (60kg) division.
Victory for Dubois will see her come up against the competition's number one seed, Mira Potkonen, of Finland who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where she ended the reign of Ireland's defending champion Katie Taylor.
The opening day will feature strong British interest as super-heavyweight, Frazer Clarke, will take on Italy's Clemente Russo in the final bout of the evening.
The highly experienced Italian won heavyweight won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where he defeated former WBC heavyweight world champion, Deontay Wiilder in the semi-finals. He also won silver at London 2012, losing to Oleksandr Usyk of the Ukraine in the final.
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The British pair will bookend a day of action that will see 35 bouts take place over two sessions of boxing at the Copper Box Arena.
Another big name to feature will be Delfine Persoon of Belgium who will follow Caroline Dubois into the ring in the women's lightweight category to face Nikoleta Pita of Greece.
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Persoon has boxed as a professional and in June 2019 controversially lost a close bout against IBF and WBA champion Katie Taylor on the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz undercard in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Tickets are on sale now for £10 at see.tickets/boxingroadtotokyo.
People can also pay on the door at the Copper Box Arena with tickets priced £15.
Full details of the draw for the whole competition and a list of entrants is available at boxingroadtotokyolondon.org/draw/results.
