The 2011 edition of Clifford Cup Boxing Championships, organized by the ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) for the promising Sri Lankan pugilists would get underway in Kandy.
The Clifford Cup boxing Championships, which is listed as a premier boxing tournament in the domestic boxing calendar, is tipped to attract over 140 boxers from boxing clubs based in various parts of the island nation. According to the organizer: ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) of Sri Lanka, a majority of the participants are from Kandy, who would be representing many of the participating clubs this year.
Scheduled to be held from December 14 – 17, 2011 at the newly constructed MAS Linea Intimates Gymnasium in Pallekele, the tournament would be a perfect platform for young and upcoming Sri Lankan pugilists in brewing themselves ahead of other domestic and international tournaments.
This year’s Clifford Cup would also facilitates ABA’s process in selecting boxers to take part in the Women’s Boxing Championships, which will act as the qualification tournament, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. ABA believes, Sri Lanka’s two medal prospects AnushaKodithuwakku and NilminiJayasinghe would hold up to their expectations as they compete in the ABA Men and Women National Boxing championship, which is scheduled to be held within four weeks, since the conclusion of this year’s Clifford Cup.
A communiqué issued by ABA secretary Mahesh Dahanayake further details the significance of this year’s Clifford Cup Championships. “There will be 10 National level male boxers competing at the 2ndShaheed Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Tournament 2011, in Islamabad, Pakistan from 20th -30th December 2011 subsequent to the Clifford Cup championship. Therefore this tournament will be a good opportunity for the ABA to pick the 2nd tier Sri Lankan national level boxers”, Dahanayake notes.
