Since the turn of the year, we’ve already seen 75 tournaments held around the country, including nine British title contests and 6 new champions.

In January the BBBofC held a Ring Officials Seminar, in Birmingham, for all Referees, Inspectors, Council Members, Timekeepers and Area Secretaries, with around 100 attendees. Speakers included Head Office Medical Advisor, Neil Scott, on the signs, symptoms and biomechanics of concussion, Les Potts on the Role of the Inspector, and the application process for licence holders, and BBBofC UKAD Educator, Suzanne Potts, who outlined anti-doping and the testing procedure. Former international rugby referee, Nigel Owens MBE, also joined us as Guest Speaker.

The BBBofC Annual Awards were held on Sunday 17th March, where Leigh Wood picked up ‘Boxer of the Year’. ‘Contest of the Year’ went to Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde, whilst other winners included Zhilei Zhang (Overseas), Sam Gilley v Louis Greene (Sportsmanship), Shane McGuigan (Boxing News Trainer of the Year).

As of April, BBBofC UKAD Educator, Suzanne Potts had already given training to over 300 licence holders, raising awareness on anti-doping procedures and responsibilities. This has included gym visits and online sessions.

We were pleased to hear Mail Sport’s Jeff Powell, received an MBE for his contribution to sports journalism. Congratulations to him on well-deserved recognition.

The BBBofC were saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former British and Commonwealth Champion, Willie Limond, as well as former European Championship challenger, John Westgarth. Our sincere sympathy and thoughts go to Willie and John’s families and friends at this difficult time.

Robert W. Smith

This year’s 'Undisputed' BBBofC Awards took place on Sunday 17th March in London. Listed below are winners and nominees from the afternoon:

Boxer of the Year – Leigh Wood (Chantelle Cameron, Chris Billam-Smith, Joe Cordina, Nathan Heaney)

Contest of the Year – Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde (Joe Cordina v Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, Leigh Wood v Josh Warrington, Sam Gilley v Louis Greene, Jack Martin v CJ Challenger)

Overseas Boxer of the Year – Zhilei Zhang (Artur Beterbiev, Luis Alberto Lopez, Jai Opetaia)

Sportsmanship Award - Sam Gilley v Louis Greene

Services to Boxing – Hugh Russell Snr (posthumously)

Special Recognition – Lady Mary Peters LG, CH, DBE

Boxing News Trainer of the Year – Shane McGuigan (Ben Davison, Errol Johnson, Jamie Moore, Tony Sims, Steve Woodvine)

CBC Dennie Mancini Trophy – Nathaniel Collins

General Secretary Robert W. Smith said ‘Congratulations to all Award winners and nominees this year. It was a very successful year in regards to contests taking place in the UK. Thank you to everyone who attended this year's event.’

Boxer of the Year, Leigh Wood, thanked his team and promoter on social media.

If you were at this year’s Awards, and missed out on the opportunity to buy photographs, head over to www.charlesalbert.co.uk

This year’s ‘Undisputed’ BBBofC Annual Awards in association with Boxing News will take place on Sunday 17th March 2024.

General Secretary, Robert W. Smith said of the upcoming Awards, 'We'd like to thank this year’s sponsors, Steel City Interactive for their involvement in the 2024 Awards and are sure that the 'Undisputed' game will be a great success. We hope all guests have an enjoyable afternoon next month, whilst celebrating the achievements of British boxing in 2023'

“We're delighted to be a part of this year's awards to celebrate some outstanding boxers. We've had tremendous support from the world of boxing and hope that our game 'Undisputed' will play a part in expanding the audience for the sport.” – Ash Habib, CEO of Steel City Interactive.

Full list of nominees at this year's Awards are as follows:

Boxer of the Year: Chantelle Cameron, Chris Billam-Smith, Joe Cordina, Nathan Heaney, Leigh Wood

Contest of the Year : Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde, Joe Cordina v Shavkat Rakhimov, Leigh Wood v Josh Warrington, Sam Gilley v Louis Greene, Jack Martin v CJ Challenger

Boxing News Trainer of the Year: Ben Davison, Errol Johnson, Shane McGuigan, Jamie Moore, Tony Sims, Steve Woodvine

Overseas Boxer of the Year: Artur Beterbiev, Luis Alberto Lopez, Jai Opetaia, Zhilei Zhang.

Awards will also be presented in the following categories - Special Recognition, Sportsmanship, Services to Boxing, whilst Commonwealth Boxing Council will present the Dennie Mancini Trophy.

On Sunday the BBBofC held a Ring Officials Seminar, in Birmingham, for all Referees, Inspectors, Council Members, Timekeepers and Area Secretaries, with around 100 attendees.

Following General Secretary, Robert W. Smith’s introduction, Head Office Medical Advisor, Neil Scott spoke, on the signs, symptoms and biomechanics of concussion. He moved on to examples of concussion in the ring and the importance of second impact syndrome, before closing on the challenges the Board face going forward and CPD.

Les Potts, Central Area Secretary, followed with a presentation on the Role of the Inspector, their responsibilities at tournaments and the importance of accurate document completion.

Following lunch, former international rugby referee, Nigel Owens MBE spoke of his early life, discrimination, mental health, and addiction and how this shaped his refereeing. He highlighted the importance of enjoying what you do, keeping emotion out of officiating and making hard decisions in the interest of the sport. Nigel also stressed how he learned to ‘park’ errors and move on. He finished with the impact that technology is having on sport.

Midlands Area Timekeeper, Jason Booth, gave a passionate speech on his role within the sport, from the application and training process, to working at the biggest tournaments in the world. He talked about the significance of good communication with the referee and being highly organised.

Les Potts returned to outline Area Council meetings and the application process for licence holders, and the attempts made to standardise the process across the country.

The final talk of the day was given by BBBofC UKAD Educator, Suzanne Potts, who outlined anti-doping and the testing procedure. She updated officials on the Board’s implementation programme and how Officials can help with this by directing licence holders to the 100% me Clean Sport App, Global Dro and Informed Sport websites.

Boxer of the Year: Chantelle Cameron, Chris Billam-Smith, Joe Cordina, Nathan Heaney, Leigh Wood

Contest of the Year : Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde, Joe Cordina v Shavkat Rakhimov, Leigh Wood v Josh Warrington, Sam Gilley v Louis Greene, Jack Martin v CJ Challenger

This year’s ‘Undisputed’ BBBofC Awards Awards will take place on Sunday 17th March 2024. Tickets are still available at £140 per head/£1300 for a table of 10 and can be booked on matt@bbbofc.com. Other packages are available as follows: - Gold - £2200, to include a table of 10 in a premium location and an advert in the afternoon's programme. - Silver - £1700, for a table in a preferred location.