Newnham brother and sister act Brodey and Danni Clayton are hoping to come home from the Australian Amateur Boxing Championships in Cairns this weekend with a pair of gold medals.
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Danni, 16, has been involved in boxing for the past four or five years and is the holder of three Tasmanian titles and three Australian titles in the youth girls’ category at 51, 57 and 60-kilograms.
“My cousin is Daniel Geale so my brother picked it up watching him fight and it became a family thing and I started after my brother did,” she said.
“This year I am going for gold in the 54kg because it is the only weight division I haven’t won one in so hopefully I can bring that one home. I feel very confident – I feel fit, healthy and powerful and I won at the state titles recently.”
She will be attending a female boxing camp at the AIS in Canberra after the national championships.
“Ten girls will be selected out of that camp to stay in Canberra for more training toward the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2020 Olympic Games so they are my two goals and once I’ve done that I’m looking to go pro,” the Launceston College student said.
Brodey, 22, has been boxing for about 10 years and has had three or four coaches over the journey including his dad Wayne.
“I started doing it for a bit of extra fitness and loved it,” he said. “I will fight in the elite 57kg, flyweight class at the nationals and I reckon I can come home with a gold. I fought at the last two and won a silver and bronze so I’m hoping to get the set this time.”
Brodey expected to face six to eight tough opponents in his class but said his preparation had been good.
“I have done a lot of sparring, running and cardio here at KFM Fitness where we train and I wouldn’t mind going for a pro fight soon.”