Parker Packs Punch with Boxam Tournament Silver

Western Australian boxer Caitlin Parker has taken a silver medal from the 2018 Boxam Women’s Tournament in Spain.

Parker qualified for the final of the women’s 75kg class where she met American fighter Naomi Graham. Graham had the better of the exchange winning the bout with a controlled final round, which relegated Parker to silver.

Despite losing the final, Parker enjoyed a strong campaign that included a morale boosting win over Welshwoman Lauren Price – who had defeated Parker in the gold medal fight at this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Parker described the win against her Commonwealth conqueror as a “great feeling”, but the result also evidenced the progression that she has made since April’s bout when she lost in a split decision.

She picked up another scalp in her second round after defeating a Hungarian opponent to advance through to the gold medal fight.

Although she fell short, Parker has been consistently winning bouts over the season to date, having also claimed a silver medal at a smaller warm up tournament in Turkey two weeks ago in preparation for the Boxam Women’s Tournament.

At 22 years of age, Parker is aiming for a position on the Australian team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where women’s boxing will appear for just the third time, after debuting in London in 2012.