NACs 2022: quarters and semis report

An exciting weekend of quarter-finals and semi-finals action (9th and 10th April) at the England Boxing National Championships 2022 saw the battle to win a coveted national title belt whittled down to the final 48 contenders.

Boxers from 40 different clubs will now battle for the 24 coveted national belts on offer at the showpiece England Boxing National Amateur Championships 2022 Finals Day on Saturday 23rd April at Manchester Central.

A total of 116 contenders had headed to the University of East London’s SportsDock hoping to follow in the footsteps of winning a competition that dates back to 1881 and features Tyson Fury, Nicola Adams, Anthony Joshua, Savannah Marshall, Carl Froch, Natasha Jonas, Nigel Benn and Karriss Artingstall among its past winners.

The strength in depth of quality was emphasised by the fact that only one of the three GB boxers entered, Moss Side Fire’s Pat Brown, was among those to prevail, while a number of other number one and two seeds also went out.

All 11 England Boxing regions, plus the UK Armed Forces, have at least one representative in the finals, highlighting the commitment across the country to developing the next generation of stars.

Tyne, Tees and Wear’s Birtley were the most successful club with three finalists, while the British Army, West Warwicks, Repton, Hoddesdon, Metro and White Hart Lane had two each.

In terms of association representation, London came out on top with 11 finalists, followed by the Midlands (eight), North West and Tyne, Tees and Wear (five each), Yorkshire (four), the Armed Forces and Southern Counties and Eastern Counties (three each), Merseyside and Cheshire and Home Counties (two each) and East Midlands and Western Counties (one each).

“From the Under 48kg boxers right through to those at Over 92kg, the desire to win and skill levels were phenomenal – and I congratulate each and every one who has come through the weekend in London to make the Finals,” said England Boxing’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Ford.

“As always, I would like to thank all the coaches, officials, volunteers and staff who made the event run so smoothly as we create the next set of champions to the join the prestigious and high-profile list that has gone before.”

Losing semi-finalists received a bronze medal, while all those who participated over the weekend received a certificate in recognition of their efforts.

The event was attended by former England Footballer and now TV pundit Jamie Redknapp, who came to cheer on friend and Repton boxer Jimmy Sains.

He was impressed by what he saw and said: “I’m a massive fan of boxing and my respect levels for what the boxers do is incredible. The talent on show has been really, really good and I enjoyed every second of watching it.

“What boxing does is teaches everyone so much respect. You have to be so clever and so brave at the same time. You have to use your head and your feet, and I’ve got so much respect for anyone who does it.”

Boxing on Finals Day in Manchester will start at 1pm, with doors for spectators opening at 12noon.

More on the NACs 2022

Click here to view full quarter-finals results.

Click here to view full semi-finals results.

Click here to view Finals Day bout list.

Click here for the National Amateur Championships home page.