Amy Broadhurst will not compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris after she was defeated at the quarter final stage in Bangkok last Friday afternoon.
Amy, a World, European and Commonwealth champion, wanted to end her amateur career by becoming an Olympian but her dream was extinguished as she lost 4-1 to experienced three time Asian champion Yeonji On. In a close fight it was the Korean who got the nod from the onlooking judges.
Broadhurst had switched allegiance to Team GB in a bid to keep her Olympic dream alive after not being selected to represent Ireland at 66kg. She was competing at her favourite weight at 60kg and there had been much talk about a showdown with current Olympic 60kg champion Kellie Harrington but following defeat for the Muirhevnamór southpaw that mouthwatering prospect is now dead in the water.
Speaking after her defeat the 27 year old from Muirhevnamór admitted she was hurting badly after her defeat while she also hit out at her critics who were throwing shots at her for switching her allegiance to Team GB.
“My heart hurts like it’s never hurt before. There was a dream inside of me since I was a little girl and today that flame slowly died out.
“My whole life has all been about the Olympic Games, I made my life all about boxing and today I suffered my biggest blow.
“Some people might criticise my decision for switching allegiance, those people are probably sitting at home who wouldn’t have a pair of balls to do what I done.
“If everyone had any idea what I went thru for the past 12 months you would very well understand why I done what I done and in saying that I have no regrets at all about the decisions I’ve made.
“I give myself every opportunity I could to get to the Olympic Games but that wasnt gods plan for me.
“I ticked every box in the book, I trained my ass off & I done everything correctly and I’m proud of myself.
“Since joining team GB I’ve been made feel at home. The way I was treated, the people who took me under their wing and done all they could for me & the boxers themselves made this decision worth it.
“These people brought back the love for boxing that I was missing and lit a fire in me that I haven’t felt for a long time!
“I haven’t been this happy in a long time and I’m very grateful for the people that I got to meet along this journey.
“They took a chance on me and believed in me and unfortunately i couldn’t return the favour.
“I would like to thank the GB coaches & staff for all their hard work and making me feel I belong.
I’d like to thank the boxers who welcomed me with open arms and made this journey enjoyable. Thanks for everything. Amy. X,” conclude Amy.
While this defeat looks as if it has closed the door on her storied amateur career the future still looks bright for Broadhurst who is expected to go into the paid professional ranks next. Women’s boxing is currently on a high and proving more popular than ever before and Broadhurst’s style lends itself to the fast paced and exciting nature of most professional women’s boxing bouts.
