Five England Boxing coaches secure IBA one-star qualification

England Boxing is delighted to confirm that the five coaches who took the IBA one-star coaching qualification at the back end of last year have all passed.

The quintet sat the exam – which featured both written and practical elements – in Spain in November.

The five successful coaches are John Hodkinson (Fox ABC, North West), David Johnston (Heart of Portsmouth, Southern Counties), Phil Knight (Lionheart Boxing Academy, Yorkshire), Chris Lodge (London Community Boxing, London) and Laura Sargeant (East Middlesbrough, Tyne Tees and Wear).

“It’s fantastic to have five more of our England coaches IBA qualified, as they need this to be able to corner in major tournaments such as the Euros and Worlds,” said England Boxing’s Performance Pathway Manager, Andrea Rankine.

“We’re particularly pleased to have another woman among those, in Laura, as we don’t have many female IBA-qualified coaches at the moment, although that is something we are actively trying to change moving forwards.

“This is the first raft of coaches who have gone through since the disruption of Covid-19 and were in discussions with IBA to put more coaches through in 2023.”