The 127th England Boxing Elite Men’s National Finals 2014 will be held at Echo Arena Liverpool on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 April 2014.
In a revamp of the latter stages of the tournament, the quarter-finals, semis and finals will be held over three consecutive days in a weekend of top-class action that will showcase the best young talent in England and culminate in the crowning of 10 national champions and potential stars of the future.
The competition will be held over 10 weight categories and without headguards to reflect recent rule changes introduced by England Boxing to bring it into line with the statutes and bylaws of international competition.
The event layout has been configured to accommodate up to 5,500 people each day and is expected to draw the largest crowds the Elite finals have witnessed for a number of years.
“The Senior Men’s National Finals have a tremendous history and heritage and are widely regarded by many in the grassroots of the sport as the highlight of the boxing calendar in England,” explained England Boxing board member and Chair of the Technical Rules and Championships Sub-Committee, Giorgio Brugnoli.
“By staging the finals stages over a weekend of competition and hosting them in a 5,000 plus seater Arena we aim to make the event a festival of boxing and deliver a showcase of the best young talent in England.”
“Many of the most famous English boxers of the last 20 years – including Carl Froch, Ricky Hatton, Nigel Benn and more recently, Olympic gold medallists, James DeGale, Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell – first came to prominence through the National Championships and by bringing the tournament to Echo Arena Liverpool we aim to deliver a show that befits the status and heritage of the competition.”
England Boxing is in discussions with broadcasters about televising the event and an announcement is expected imminently.
Liverpool has a vibrant boxing scene and the City Council has been instrumental in the decision to bring the event to Echo Arena which hosted the GB Boxing Championships in 2010 and the European Championships in 2008.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “It is a huge coup for the city and the award-winning Echo Arena to host this important event in the boxing calendar.
“The city has always prided itself on the huge amount of boxing talent honed in the city – from Olympic bronze medallist David Price to fellow Olympic boxers Natasha Jonas, Tom Stalker and the four Smith brothers who all hold titles in their own divisions to name but a few. This is a fantastic opportunity to see England’s future stars in action across three days of intense competition – and hopefully we’ll see some of our home grown talent crowned champions!”
40 quarter-final bouts will be held on Friday 25 April from 1.00-7.00pm with two rings in the Arena.
On Saturday 26 April, there will be one ring in the Arena for the 20 semi-finals, which will run from 11.00am-6.00pm. It will allow boxing fans to see all 20 of the semi-finals for the first time, whereas previously they were held at two separate events in different regions of England.
On Saturday evening there will be an exhibition of female boxing in the Arena. It will feature domestic match-ups, contests between home nation boxers and international matches including a host of England’s finest up-and-coming junior and senior female talents.
The Men’s Elite Finals will be from 2.00-6.00pm on Sunday 27 April 2014.
Tickets are on sale now!
To book tickets log on to www.echoarena.com or call the Echo Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400.