The England Boxing National Amateur Championships previously known as the ABA Championships is the premier boxing tournament hosted annually by
England Boxing
England Boxing, known until 2013 as the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is the governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Ireland being organised on a ...
. The Championships are 'open' class: any
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
who is registered with a club registered with
England Boxing
England Boxing, known until 2013 as the Amateur Boxing Association of England, is the governing body of amateur boxing clubs in England. There are separate organisations for Scotland and Wales with boxing in Northern Ireland being organised on a ...
(aged over 17 years by the 1 October) can enter.
History
The inaugural Championships were held (over one day) on 18 April 1880 at
St James Hall, London at four weight categories:
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...
(57 kg),
Lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing.
Notable lightweight ...
(60 kg),
Middleweight (75 kg), and
Heavyweight (91 kg).
1884 saw the introduction of a fifth weight category (
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is .
The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...
, 54 kg). In 1920 three additional weight categories were introduced taking it to 8 weight categories in all. These extra weights were:
Flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of b ...
(51 kg),
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
(69 kg), and
Light heavyweight (81 kg).
In 1920, the London ABA was split into four Divisions to accommodate the number of boxers entering the ABA Championships. The start of Divisional Championships. The following year in 1921 the ABA decided to introduce eliminating rounds and the Country was split into four Regions to assist in identifying a champion. In 1926 the Championships were opened by a Patron of the 'ABA', the Prince of Wales.
In 1971, the '
light flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, ...
' category (48 kg) was included in the National Championship for the first time. In 1982, the '
super heavyweight category (over 91 kg) was added.
Cruiserweight (86 kg) was added in 1998.
By 1994, the ABA Championships became a purely English affair as Scottish and Welsh boxers could no longer compete due to disagreements over rules and regulations.
In 2012/3 the weights were revised, deleting
light middleweight (71 kg) and
cruiserweight (86 kg), also increasing
welter weight from 67 kg to 69 kg. So today a total of eleven weight categories are contested. The ABA Champion is automatically selected to represent England in the Four Nations Championship in that year (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales).
In 2019 the Championships were renamed the England Boxing National Amateur Championships and the 2020 Championships were cancelled due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
.
In 2022, another re-organisation of the weight categories resulted in the light-middleweight division returning.
Locations
The inaugural Championships were held at
St James Hall, London on 18 April 1880. In 1926, the Championships moved to the
Royal Albert Hall London after moving around different venues within the Capital City (St. James Hall,
Alexandra Palace,
Northampton Institute
City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
, Holborn Central Hall,
Royal Aquarium
The Royal Aquarium and Winter Garden was a place of amusement in Westminster, London. It opened in 1876, and the building was demolished in 1903. The attraction was located northwest of Westminster Abbey on Tothill Street. The building was design ...
,
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
,
People's Palace and the Holland Park Ring). From 1946 until 1990 the Championships were held at the
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...
.
Since 1990 the locations have varied.
[
*1990–1992 (Royal Albert Hall)
*1993–1998 (]Arena Birmingham
Arena Birmingham (known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita Arena Birmingham, and previously as The Barclaycard Arena and originally as the National Indoor Arena) is an indoor arena and sporting venue in central Birmingham, United Kingdom. It ...
)
*1999–2002 (Metrodome Leisure Centre, Barnsley)
*2005–2005 ( ExCeL London)
*2004, 2006 (Wembley Conference Centre
Wembley Conference Centre was a conference centre in Wembley Park, London, England, that existed from 1977 to 2006, located next to Wembley Arena.
History
In the later 1970s, modern multi-purpose halls began opening in British towns and cities. ...
)
*2009–2009 (York Hall
The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inte ...
, London)
*2011–2011 (Charter Hall, Leisure World, Colchester)
*2013–2013 (Rainton Meadows Arena, Sunderland)
*2014–2016 ( Echo Arena, Liverpool)
*2017–2017 ( Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham)
*2003, 2007–2008, 2010, 2012 & 2018 (York Hall
The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inte ...
, London)
*2019–2020+ ( Manchester Central)
*2021–2021 ( University of East London's SportsDock)
+ 2020 event due to be held in Manchester was cancelled
England Boxing National Amateur Championships (champions)
Super Heavyweight (92+kg)
Heavyweight (- 92kg)
Cruiserweight (- 86kg)
Light Heavyweight (- 80kg)
Middleweight (- 75kg)
Light Middleweight (- 71kg)
Welterweight (- 67kg)
Light Welterweight (- 63.5kg)
Lightweight (- 60kg)
Featherweight (- 57kg)
Bantamweight (currently uncontested)
Flyweight (- 54kg)
Light Flyweight (- 48kg)
References
{{English and British National Champions
England Boxing
Boxing competitions in the United Kingdom
National championships in the United Kingdom