"We're going to do everything to make sure that it stays"; Ben Shalom says women's boxing must not be removed from the Olympics, with former Olympians Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall set to headline Saturday's historic all-female card live on Sky Sports
Thursday 13 October 2022 17:05, UK
Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom has vowed to do all in his power to ensure that women's boxing remains part of the Olympic programme.
Both top-billed fighters on Saturday's historic all-female O2 card have experienced Olympic competition, Savannah Marshall fighting in 2012 and 2016 and Claressa Shields winning gold at both those Games.
But boxing is on the brink of having its expulsion from the 2028 Games confirmed due to the International Olympic Committee's concerns over governance issues at the International Boxing Association, the worldwide body in charge of the amateur code.
Speaking at the press conference for Shields vs Marshall, Shalom said losing boxing from the Olympics could have grave consequences for the sport going forward.
"I think one thing that's obvious is how important the Olympics are to our professional sport, to all the stars on the card," he said.
"Three out of the four in the main events have had great success at the Olympics. That's one thing we're really passionate about.
"I know there's talk about the Olympics being removed from LA in 2028. You look at this card and you think this has been sparked by the Olympics and there's no way we can lose that from our sport.
"We're going to do absolutely everything in our power to make sure that women's boxing stays in the Olympics because this is testament to that."
Women have only been allowed to compete at the Games since 2012, and the likes of Shields and Marshall were trailblazers for a generation of female fighters.
Among those inspired to fight was Caroline Dubois, who represented Team GB at the Tokyo Games.
Having won all three of her professional fights to date, the 21-year-old continues her ascent when she takes on Milena Koleva on this weekend's undercard.
Dubois said: "Some of these girls I was watching... I was 11 years old, at the 2012 Olympics. I remember watching the likes of Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall, and just being blown away by it.
"They ignited a fire in me to have a dream to go to the Olympics. Now I'm fighting on the same card as them. That's kind of crazy when you think about it."
Two of her British team-mates in Tokyo will also feature on Saturday: Lauren Price, who took home gold in Japan, fights Timea Belik in just her second professional outing, while her partner Karriss Artingstall will take on Marina Sakharov.
Watch as Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall meet to unify the middleweight titles live on Sky Sports from 7.30pm on Saturday.
