Tom Stalker
Encyclopedia
Tom Stalker is an English amateur boxer fighting in the 64 kg category. He is ranked 12 in the world at 64kg. He is a member of the England elite squad as well as the Great British podium squad and recently won silver at the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
in Moscow and Gold at the Commonwealth Games
in Delhi. He was named the amateur boxer of the year for 2010 by the Boxing Writer's club of Great Britain.
having previously trained at the St. Aloysius ABC also in Liverpool
, he only started boxing at the age of 18, having his first fight when 19. Prior to starting boxing Stalker told Boxing News
"I was a bit of a tearaway. I’m not proud of it. I used to rob cars. I was just a young lad, I didn’t know what direction to go in. I wanted to do something with my life, so I went to the local boxing gym that my two brothers were going to, St. Aloysius". At the age of 26 Stalker was voted the amateur boxing of the year by the Boxing Writer's club of Great Britain but claimed that when he started he was anything but a natural saying "My first year I was hopeless but my trainer, Kenny Willis, spent loads of time with me and I soon got better".
A member of the Great Britain podium squad, Stalker is trained at Sheffield
's English Institute of Sport
by Robert McCracken
and Paul Walmsley.
Domestically Stalker won the 2009 British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) championships held in Liverpool beating Scotland's Ryan Smith
10:4 in the final. The win came after disappointment the same year as Stalker had previously lost in the final of the ABA Championships
to rival Martin Stead
by just one point. On 13 November 2010 Stalker competed in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Initially due to fight Martin Ward in the final, an ankle injury to Ward meant that Josh Taylor, the man Stalker beat in the final of the Commonwealth games stepped in with Stalker narrowly winning in the final moments of the fight.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 'warm-up' tournament, 2008 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
in Poland
was the first international tournament which Stalker meddled at, he won the gold medal at the Lightweight division, by beating Hungarian opponent Miklos Varga
in the final after losing out at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships
in his home city of Liverpool
after he lost 6:4 to Belarussian Vazgen Safaryants
in the quarter-final stage.
Stalker competed at the 2009 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
in Denmark
a year after winning gold at the same tournament, he once again reached the final of the competition, only to lose 10:4 to German, Eugen Burhard. Of the result Stalker claimed to be disappointed saying "I was a bit gutted as the German who beat me has beaten me before - it was just frustrating as the first round was 0-0, and then I went 2-0 up, but he ended up beating me 10-4."
At the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
held in Moscow
the Liverpool Lightweight won a silver medal, beating reigning world champion and pre-tournament favorite Domenico Valentino
and beat Artjoms Ramlavs of Latvia
on count back in the quarter-finals, going on to beat German Eugen Burhard in the semi's, only losing to Russian captain and former world champion Albert Selimov
in the final. After the tournament Stalker paid tribute to GB coach Robert McCracken
, "You can't hide, he's a great coach. Rob has brought me on a lot." Training with the squad in Sheffield
Stalker also credits WBC Champion Carl Froch
, who is also trained at Sheffield with being a great influence saying "Having Carl Froch
training and seeing him on the pads and blocking shots, it's great for me".
In the same year as his impressive silver medal in Moscow
, Stalker captained the Great Britain team to a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in Delhi
, beating Guyana
's Clevon Rock 8:1 in the first round, Sri Lanka
's Kamal Sameera 4:0 in the second round, Australia
's Luke Jackson
7:2 in the quarter-finals, setting up a semi-final contest again local favorite Jai Bhagwan of India
, winning by the score of 10:5. Stalker met Scotland
's Josh Taylor
in the final, with the English captain running out as a 10:3 winner.
Stalker's first major tournament since moving up to the 64kg Light-Welterweight division was held in Ankara
in which he earned a silver medal at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships
, losing to Ireland
's Ray Moylette
who is ranked 6 in the world, by a score of 18:10, having beaten previous gold medalist Hrachik Javakhyan
of Armenia
earlier in the competition.
Stalker won bronze at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships
in Baku
, Azerbaijan
, losing to the Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk in the semi-final. Earlier in the competition Stalker had defeated Russia
's Alexander Solyanikov in a match which sealed his qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games and the Indian Manoj Kumar
to seal his semi-final berth and the guarantee of a bronze medal. The qualification to the Olympics came four years after Stalker lost out in the selection process for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Speaking of the qualification, Stalker said "I only started boxing when I was 19 and I couldn’t throw a punch for a year. Now I’m going to an Olympic Games. It’s crazy. I’ve proved if you dedicate your life to something and believe in yourself, your dreams can come true."
2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Moscow, Russia from June 4 to June 13, 2010. It was the 38th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EUBC.- Medal winners:...
in Moscow and Gold at the Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi. He was named the amateur boxer of the year for 2010 by the Boxing Writer's club of Great Britain.
Amateur career
Stalker boxes for Salisbury ABC in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
having previously trained at the St. Aloysius ABC also in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, he only started boxing at the age of 18, having his first fight when 19. Prior to starting boxing Stalker told Boxing News
Boxing News
Boxing News is the longest-running boxing magazine still in publication, dating back to 1909. Owned by Newsquest Specialist Media .-History:Boxing News was founded in 1909 by original editor John Murray as, simply, Boxing...
"I was a bit of a tearaway. I’m not proud of it. I used to rob cars. I was just a young lad, I didn’t know what direction to go in. I wanted to do something with my life, so I went to the local boxing gym that my two brothers were going to, St. Aloysius". At the age of 26 Stalker was voted the amateur boxing of the year by the Boxing Writer's club of Great Britain but claimed that when he started he was anything but a natural saying "My first year I was hopeless but my trainer, Kenny Willis, spent loads of time with me and I soon got better".
GB Squad
A member of the Great Britain podium squad, Stalker is trained at Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
's English Institute of Sport
English Institute of Sport
The English Institute of Sport , established in May 2002, is an organisation which provides sport science and medical support services to elite athletes through a nationwide network of expertise and facilities, working with Olympic and Paralympic summer and winter sports, as well as English and a...
by Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken is a former British middleweight boxer and world title challenger from Birmingham, England. Robert worked as a wood machinist at Hoskins Cabinet Works, Bordesley, Birmingham before turning to boxing.He was affectionately known as "boxing Bob". McCracken turned pro in 1991 in the...
and Paul Walmsley.
Domestic Honours
Domestically Stalker won the 2009 British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) championships held in Liverpool beating Scotland's Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith may refer to:*Ryan Smith *Ryan Smith *Ryan Smith *Ryan Smith , Canadian rugby union player...
10:4 in the final. The win came after disappointment the same year as Stalker had previously lost in the final of the ABA Championships
ABA Championships
The ABA Championships is the premier tournament hosted annually by the Amateur Boxing Association of England. The Championships are 'open' class: any boxer who is registered with a club of the ABA of England can enter....
to rival Martin Stead
Martin Stead
Martin Peter Stead is a Canadian cricketer. He played two One Day Internationals for Canada.-External links:...
by just one point. On 13 November 2010 Stalker competed in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
GB Amateur Boxing Championships
The Great Britain Amateur Boxing Championships is an amateur boxing tournament, founded in 2010, in which boxers from England, Scotland and Wales compete over a two day period.- 2010 GB Boxing Championships :...
held at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Initially due to fight Martin Ward in the final, an ankle injury to Ward meant that Josh Taylor, the man Stalker beat in the final of the Commonwealth games stepped in with Stalker narrowly winning in the final moments of the fight.
2008 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 'warm-up' tournament, 2008 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
2008 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2008 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Cetniewo, Poland from June 15 to June 22. The 6th edition of the annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA. A total number of 119 fighters from across Europe competed at these...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
was the first international tournament which Stalker meddled at, he won the gold medal at the Lightweight division, by beating Hungarian opponent Miklos Varga
Miklós Varga
Miklos Varga is a Hungarian amateur boxer who competed at the 2008 Olympics but lost his only bout at lightweight to Merey Akshalov.-External links:*...
in the final after losing out at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships
2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Liverpool, England in November 2008. They were the 37th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA.-Medal winners:-Medal table:...
in his home city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
after he lost 6:4 to Belarussian Vazgen Safaryants
Vazgen Safaryants
Vazgen Safaryants is a Belarusian amateur boxer of Armenian origin best known for placing third at the 2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships.-References:...
in the quarter-final stage.
2009 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
Stalker competed at the 2009 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
2009 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2009 European Union Amateur Boxing Championships was held at the Odense Sports Centre in Odense, Denmark from June 14 to June 21. The 7th edition of the annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA....
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
a year after winning gold at the same tournament, he once again reached the final of the competition, only to lose 10:4 to German, Eugen Burhard. Of the result Stalker claimed to be disappointed saying "I was a bit gutted as the German who beat me has beaten me before - it was just frustrating as the first round was 0-0, and then I went 2-0 up, but he ended up beating me 10-4."
2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
At the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Moscow, Russia from June 4 to June 13, 2010. It was the 38th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EUBC.- Medal winners:...
held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
the Liverpool Lightweight won a silver medal, beating reigning world champion and pre-tournament favorite Domenico Valentino
Domenico Valentino
Domenico Valentino is a boxer from Italy.The hard punching Valentino won a bronze medal at lightweight at the 2004 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Pula, Croatia.He participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics...
and beat Artjoms Ramlavs of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
on count back in the quarter-finals, going on to beat German Eugen Burhard in the semi's, only losing to Russian captain and former world champion Albert Selimov
Albert Selimov
Albert Shevketovich Selimov is a Russian amateur Featherweight boxer best known for winning the European championship 2006 and the World Championships 2007.-Career:...
in the final. After the tournament Stalker paid tribute to GB coach Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken
Robert McCracken is a former British middleweight boxer and world title challenger from Birmingham, England. Robert worked as a wood machinist at Hoskins Cabinet Works, Bordesley, Birmingham before turning to boxing.He was affectionately known as "boxing Bob". McCracken turned pro in 1991 in the...
, "You can't hide, he's a great coach. Rob has brought me on a lot." Training with the squad in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
Stalker also credits WBC Champion Carl Froch
Carl Froch
Carl Froch is an English professional boxer and is a two-time and reigning WBC super middleweight champion. He previously held the British, Commonwealth, & English titles at super middleweight.-Amateur:...
, who is also trained at Sheffield with being a great influence saying "Having Carl Froch
Carl Froch
Carl Froch is an English professional boxer and is a two-time and reigning WBC super middleweight champion. He previously held the British, Commonwealth, & English titles at super middleweight.-Amateur:...
training and seeing him on the pads and blocking shots, it's great for me".
2010 Commonwealth Games
In the same year as his impressive silver medal in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Stalker captained the Great Britain team to a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, beating Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
's Clevon Rock 8:1 in the first round, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
's Kamal Sameera 4:0 in the second round, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Luke Jackson
Luke Jackson
Luke Ryan Jackson is an American professional basketball player.-High school and college career:A four-year letterman in both basketball and baseball at Creswell High School, he was Oregon's Class AAA Basketball Player of the Year in 1998 and 2000...
7:2 in the quarter-finals, setting up a semi-final contest again local favorite Jai Bhagwan of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, winning by the score of 10:5. Stalker met Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's Josh Taylor
Josh Taylor
Josh Taylor is a long-time American comedy and dramatic television actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Chris Kositchek and Roman Brady on the long-running American dramatic serial Days of our Lives and as Michael Hogan, the father figure on NBC's long running situation comedy The...
in the final, with the English captain running out as a 10:3 winner.
2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships
Stalker's first major tournament since moving up to the 64kg Light-Welterweight division was held in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
in which he earned a silver medal at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships
2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships was held in Ankara, Turkey from June 17 to June 24, 2011. It was the 39th edition of this biennial competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, the EUBC.-Schedule:...
, losing to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
's Ray Moylette
Ray Moylette
Raymond Moylette, more commonly known as Ray Moylette and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Ray Moylett, is an Irish amateur boxer from Derrycooraune, Islandeady, County Mayo, Ireland...
who is ranked 6 in the world, by a score of 18:10, having beaten previous gold medalist Hrachik Javakhyan
Hrachik Javakhyan
Hrachik Javakhyan is an Armenian lightweight boxer best known to win Silver at the 2006 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Plovdiv and qualifying for the Olympics 2008.-Career:...
of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
earlier in the competition.
2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships
Stalker won bronze at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships
2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships was held at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan from September 22, 2011 to October 10, 2011....
in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, losing to the Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk in the semi-final. Earlier in the competition Stalker had defeated Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's Alexander Solyanikov in a match which sealed his qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games and the Indian Manoj Kumar
Manoj Kumar
Manoj Kumar is an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood film industry. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname "Mr Bharat"...
to seal his semi-final berth and the guarantee of a bronze medal. The qualification to the Olympics came four years after Stalker lost out in the selection process for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Speaking of the qualification, Stalker said "I only started boxing when I was 19 and I couldn’t throw a punch for a year. Now I’m going to an Olympic Games. It’s crazy. I’ve proved if you dedicate your life to something and believe in yourself, your dreams can come true."