Hard work ‘will pay dividends’ – Le Poullain

Understandably, over 15 months after his last competitive bout and with Covid leaving any immediate goals on the ropes, the Birmingham 2022 hopeful feels a twinge of frustration.

But the 25-year-old, Guernsey’s first-ever Commonwealth Games boxer, also feels he has one big upper hand on his opponents elsewhere.

Namely, he has been fortunate enough to use gyms and other training facilities for most of the last year.

‘It’s great to be a step ahead of the guys in the UK,’ he said.

‘Until this current lockdown, I have been able to train all the way through.

‘It has been frustrating [not competing], but once the vaccine has been dished out, we should be able to get back into action.’

The arrival of this second lockdown has again thrown Le Poullain off temporarily.

He last competed in November 2019 before illness and injury ruled him out of subsequent winter shows, with Covid dealing a decisive blow to any hopes of competing last year.

Guernsey-only shows remain an impossibility, partly due to the lack of a qualified local officer in charge.

Yet at the earliest safe opportunity, Le Poullain will be back putting hard graft into training, aiming at the ‘Nationals’ – whenever those may be – and ideally attaining a back-to-back Commonwealths selection.

‘I feel like when we do get the go-ahead, I am going to be well ahead with levels of fitness and ring sharpness,’ he added.

‘That consistency over a long period of time, I’m sure that will pay dividends.’