Illawarra's Mark Lucas, here with trainer Nudge Mieli, has been selected for the Australian squad. Picture: ROBERT PEET
BOXING
Illawarra amateur boxer Mark Lucas is in the Australian squad which will compete in Ireland and Scotland next month.
"I'm looking forward to going and taking that next step up in competition and hopefully that will raise my level as well," Lucas, 23, said yesterday.
"Basically I'm looking to develop to get ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and hopefully qualifying for world championships next year as well. So this is building towards that.
"The Irish are probably one of the stronger teams in the world now. They're one of the better boxing nations. They've got a really good amateur style.
"So this will definitely help us with our boxing ability because we're facing that level of competition and regardless of the results, I'm sure we will lift our game.
"Scotland are pretty good as well. Every country in Europe has high-class boxing in the amateurs. So I'm looking forward to it."
Lucas's selection for this tour came about after Australian coach Don Abnet invited Lucas to a selection camp at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he was one of the main sparring partners for the Olympic team before the 2012 London Games.
The camp was for athletes who were part of a Centre Of Excellence (COE) program and Lucas and one other athlete were given a wildcard entry.
The camp consisted of five days of' training in which four of the days had three gruelling sessions.
Two other days involved competition sparring which was considered a bout as it was refereed and judged.
Lucas won both his bouts against a highly regarded COE boxer, Victorian Jack Game.
He also stood out in all aspects of training and earned his spot on the Aussie team.
He was competing against five others in his weight class, including Dylan Hardy who won a gold medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games.
There were 20 fighters competing for only four spots in the team, so competition was fierce.
Lucas's trainer, Nudge Mieli, also attended the camp as a coach and was impressed with the program.
"It was great to be exposed to new training methods and techniques," Mieli said. "The quality of athletes and coaches was first class and the future of boxing is looking very strong.
"We were very fortunate to be able to work with the Australian coach, Don Abnet. He has been all over the world and has been exposed to the best coaches in the world."
Lucas will be fighting in Ireland and Scotland over 15 days and hopes to have at least four fights. The past five years of endless hours in the gym and travelling are now paying off for Lucas and Mieli.
Mieli has since been appointed one of five COE coaches from NSW and duties include talent scouting for promising young boxers in the state.
Mieli and Lucas thank everyone who has had any input in Lucas's boxing career.