UPDATE – Boxing Road to Tokyo has been cancelled. Read the interview below and join us in looking forward to a brilliant Year of Sport next year.

Cheavon Clarke is the number one heavyweight boxer in the UK, and hoping to secure his place at the 2020 Olympics in the upcoming Road To Tokyo boxing tournament on the Park. Ahead of taking to the ring at the Copper Box Arena, we spoke to him about his own personal road to Tokyo.

How are you feeling about the competition?

I’m feeling great! I feel like I’m in good shape and training is coming along nicely. I’m really excited about it. I’m also really happy that this event is in the UK– I’ve been on the Olympic programme since 2017 and in that time we’ve competed in most other continents but I’ve never competed in an international tournament at home! 

Will it having a qualification event in London make a difference, do you think?

Definitely – we’re at such an important time in the cycle, so to have such a crucial tournament in the lead up to Tokyo taking place in London is amazing. 

It also means so much having friends and family in the crowd and with it happening on the Park it makes it easier for more people to come. I’m a proper Londoner so I grew up between Peckham, Croydon and Kent, there should be a good crowd.

Are you expecting good support from the home crowd?

Absolutely, and not just from my friends and family! Boxing is really, really at its peak at the moment in the UK so I think the crowd will get behind us. 

It’ll be great because the fans often get to see professional boxing but they don’t always get to see the elite athletes competing on behalf of their country, and obviously these are athletes who will likely go on to turn professional – so with this you’ve got the chance to see them first before they go pro! 

Have you been to the Park before?

Yes, I’ve been here a few times to watch friends compete in other events – some of my friends were racing in the Müller Anniversary Games at the Stadium, which is always so fun to watch. Now they can cheer me on instead! 

What does a typical day’s training look like for you?

You wake up at 7am and weigh in first thing. By 7.30am you’re on the track to do your cardio – the type varies, whether it’s running or cycling. Then you have your breakfast and a little rest, and would move on to a pad session – 15 minutes of technical pads to work on things you need to improve, and other types of skills. 

Then you go back and rest, have lunch, maybe a little nap then your last session of the day around 3.30pm which would be sparring and a few round on the bags. 

Do you train every day?

We’re in accommodation at the training centre from Monday to Thursday, then head back home to our families for the rest of the week. On our days off most of us will keep up the training so you’ll find lots of Olympic hopefuls in their local boxing gyms, which for most of us is where it all started! It’s nice to keep the connection up with my old coach who helped me get this far.

Does your training change or intensify in the run up to a big competition like the Olympics?

The way that we train hasn’t changed as such, but what has changed is the intensity and volume of the training. We do a lot more intense work. You’ll spar more, the runs on the track will be harder, you’ll be lifting a lot heavier weights. It’s great and puts you in great stead for competing. 

Is there a competitive atmosphere within your own team during a high-stakes tournament like this?

It’s weird because boxing is an individual sport but still very much a team sport at the same time. For the British team, we’re all in different weight classes so there’s no competition. There are probably two or three athletes who could’ve been selected, but at this stage the selected athletes are all in different categories so that takes some of the pressure off. It’s really supportive, we’ve been training together for three or four years so you want to see your mates selected!

I think the team we have now at this cycle is one of the most successful – we want to do well, we want to go out and get all these medals so we can leave our mark on the sport ready for the next cycle!

Who do you think will be your biggest competition? 

Personally, I don’t watch or worry anybody else! I do what I do and just try to know and believe I can beat anyone in the world!

Follow Chev Clarke on Twitter and Instagram to show your support in the run up to the Olympics!