Bradley Saunders
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Boxing | ||
Competitor for  England |
||
| World Amateur Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2007 Chicago | Light Welterweight |
| EU Amateur Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2007 Dublin | Light-Welterweight |
| Gold | 2009 Odense | Light-Welterweight |
Bradley Saunders (born 4 February 1986 in Stockton-on-Tees) is a British amateur boxer who won bronze at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships and who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Contents |
[edit] Amateur career
Saunders won the British championships in 2006 whilst representing South Durham ABC.[citation needed]. He qualified for the 2007 World championships held in Chicago and won a bronze medal defeating the likes of local favourite Javier Molina(24:12) and Frenchman Alexis Vastine in order to join compatriots Frankie Gavin and bantam Joe Murray on the medal podiums and, in doing so, qualifying for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The Olympic tournament would prove disappointing for Saunders as an impressive first round victory was followed with defeat in the second round to former victim Alexis Vastine.[1] Following the tournament Saunders made the decision to stay amateur whilst a number of his Team GB colleagues made the move to the professional boxing ranks.
In June 2009 Saunders returned to the ring to compete in the European Union championships held in Odense, winning gold and beating a fellow former World Championship bronze medallist Gyula Kate of Hungary along the way.[2][3]
Disappointment followed for Saunders when, just prior to the 2009 World Championships due to be held in Milan, the boxer broke his left thumb in a training bout. A potential winner of gold at the event Saunders reflected on the injury by saying "I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason...I'm going to focus totally on 2012. Maybe then I'll look back and be glad this all happened".[4]
[edit] Personal life
On 25th November 2008 Saunders was questioned by police on suspicion of dealing cocaine after a police sniffer dog found what was alleged to be £12000 worth of the drug in his back garden.[5] The charges were dropped against the boxer in April 2009 when the police decided not to proceed with the case.[6]
[edit] World Amateur Championships
- Defeated Boris Katalinic (Croatia) 23-12
- Defeated Gumersindo Carrasco (Argentina) RSCO
- Defeated Javier Molina (United States) 24-12
- Defeated Alexis Vastine (France) 30-13
- Lost to Gennady Kovalev (Russia) 8-16
[edit] Olympic Games
- Defeated Samuel Kotey Neequaye (Ghana) KO 1 (2:24)
- Lost to Alexis Vastine (France) 11-7
[edit] References
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/boxing/7560045.stm BBC Sport | Mixed results for boxers in Beijing]
- ^ BBC Sport | England's amateurs shine at Euros
- ^ BBC Sport | Saunders makes winning comeback
- ^ BBC Sport | Injured Saunders to miss Worlds
- ^ BBC News | Olympic boxer in cocaine arrest
- ^ BBC News | No charges for Olympic boxer
