England call-up for Le Poullain
Billy Le Poullain has received an England call-up as he vies for a more permanent place in Great Britain’s boxing set-up.
The Bailiwick boxing star revealed on the latest Guernsey Press Sport Podcast – out now – that he has been picked to represent the nation against hosts Scotland in a dual match on 4 March.
It follows his making of local history by reaching last year’s National Amateur Championships elite final and, more recently, a pleasing performance at a multi-faceted GB assessment in Sheffield.
LISTEN TO A FULL INTERVIEW WITH BILLY LE POULLAIN ON THE LATEST GUERNSEY PRESS SPORT PODCAST:
‘It’s going to be such an honour boxing for England,’ he said.
‘It’s an honour in itself boxing for Guernsey, but boxing for England’s just that one step higher and it puts you on the talent pathway to really crack on and potentially get my foot in the door at Team GB.
‘It’s going to be an exciting night.’
Qualifying for GB remains the 26-year-old’s major ambition, but with another assessment coming up in a month’s time, his immediate goal is to ‘stay busy and keep improving’.
Le Poullain begins another ‘Nationals’ campaign this spring and come the summer, he will be gunning to perform at his very best at the Commonwealth Games in his birth city of Birmingham.
He also revealed that he is cutting down to the light-middleweight category (71kg) and anticipates a boost from the move.
‘At middleweight, I felt a little bit small in height ... at light-middleweight, the punching power of my opponents isn’t going to be the same, and it’s not going to be able to keep me away, so I’m going to be able to walk the opponents down and really showcase what I’m able to do.’
