WAIS boxing scholarship holder Anthony Little has fought his way to a second Olympic campaign after a convincing 23-8 victory over compatriot Brendon Wilson in the 60kg final last weekend.
Little will compete in his second Games after he demonstrated his big fight credentials by outclassing his opponents at the Oceania Championships in Apia, Samoa.
Little managed to score punches at regular intervals and found good combinations to unsettle Wilson, despite suffering from the energy sapping humidity in Apia.
Trainer Geoff Peterson believed Little gave everything he had, and was pleased with his fighter’s courage.
“Anthony was brilliant, he had three bouts and won them each convincingly,” said Peterson.
“The heat in Samoa was awful and by the end of the fight he had nothing left, but that’s the way I want him.
“Anthony has tremendous footwork and he used that. That’s what separates him from the rest, he boxed really well.”
Little has had to literally fight for every opportunity and many pundits thought he would quit boxing after missing out on selection for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Peterson however, has placed Little on a vigorous training schedule designed to push him into a medal challengerfor Beijing.
Little trains six days a week with morning aerobic work and evening strength and conditioning sessions.
“I get him doing morning track work, where he will run between 6-10km. In the evening he does his gym work, where we prepare him for competition settings. He boxes 12 rounds of controlled sparring,” said Peterson.
Little will compete in his second Olympics in Beijing, and Peterson believes the experience from Athens will make him a much tougher opponent.
“I expect a lot from Anthony. I have no doubt he can medal. Olympics create nerves, but he’s an old hand this time, he knows what to expect,” said Peterson.
Little will join a squad of nine Australian boxers at Beijing, with the squad likely to be captained by Queenslander Jarrod Fletcher.
