Tasmania's next generation will have the chance to meet boxing royalty on Sunday at a junior coaching clinic at Health Revival in Longford.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jamie Pittman, who was an amatuer and later professional boxer, will be attending the afternoon to look at the burgeoning talent in the state in his current role as Boxing Australia's national coach.
Hailing from Brisbane, Pittman's amatuer journey - in which he finished with a record of 150 wins and 37 losses - took him to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, before he switched to professional.
The middleweight southpaw was no stranger to success there either, ending with a record of 22 wins and three losses from his 25 bouts, winning his first 16 and claiming seven knockouts.
Boxing Tasmania vice-president Gary Cooper said the experience for the juniors coming through would be invaluable.
"Having Jamie here is not just a big thing for these kids, but their coaches as well, because John represented Australia at the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, and so for all the tips and advice that he gives, when he's talking [everyone listens]," he said.
According to Cooper, the sport in Tasmania enjoying an encouraging period of recovery following years of demise due to mismanagement, and he said it was pleasing to see that all 15 boxing clubs in the state had stated their intentions to attend the event and that it showed the sport's health.
Cooper suggested boxing's route back to its old self came from promoting it to kids, suggesting that despite the individual nature of the sport, the lessons learned and the community created by the clubs are helpful to any child's development.
"It gives kids confidence, it gives them a purpose and it gives them discipline, because it's not all about fighting, it's about learning drills and playing games and making it fun," he said.
"It just gives them a sense of belonging as well and once the kid goes to the boxing club. They look after each other and there's that sense of support, it's more like a team environment."
The free session on Sunday begins at 11am and runs until 3pm with a lunch break in the middle, and includes technical work, sparring and a coaching clinic.