Dudley boxer begins bid for world championships glory
Dudley boxing star Kelsey Oakley faces Chinese opposition to begin her bid for glory at the World Boxing Championships.
The 22-year-old from Priory Park takes on Xinyu Qi at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Saturday morning in the opening round of the under-51kg tournament.
Oakley, a former national champion and a member of Team GB’s podium squad, is aiming to make a big impression on the biggest stage of her career to date.
A former kickboxer, Oakley enjoyed stunning success after switching to boxing in her early teens. Her progress will be watched with particular enthusiasm at Priory Park ABC, the club where she still trains regularly when not with the GB squad in Sheffield.
More than 550 boxers from across the world have descended on Merseyside for the championships, which run until September 14.
Oakley, who has next summer’s Commonwealth Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as long-term goals, is among more than 40 boxers from GB and Ireland competing.
Victory over Qi would set up a last-16 meeting on Tuesday bout with either Saudi Arabia’s Yara Alamri or Canadian national champion, McKenzie Wright.
Every bout from the championships will be streamed live on the World Boxing YouTube channel.
