A Legend has passed, but the show must go on.

A packed house at York Hall, Bethnal Green yesterday saw the British squad fight for selection

In a sobering week for world boxing, many of Britain’s young pretenders will be mourning the loss of a man whom the BBC have called ‘One half of boxing's greatest ever rivalry’. Sadly for these youngsters, not even an occasion such as this can afford to distract them for too long. Nearly half a century since Joe Frazier’s stunning win at the Tokyo Olympics, Great Britain’s young hopefuls turn their attention to their own Olympic journey, which began, for some at least, this weekend. It is no secret that in recent years the heavyweight division has offered little more excitement than the numbers round in countdown and with David Haye deciding to give the other half of the Ukrainian twin towers a miss, one wonders where the next generation of exciting heavyweights will come from. A more recent turn of events has seen the welterweight divisions creating much of the hype around professional boxing; Floyd Mayweather recently cashed in a handy $40m for his WBC title win over fellow American Victor Ortiz; who wasn’t quite so ‘Vicious’ after their head to head, so to speak. Both Ortiz and Mayweather had differing Olympic experiences in the Amateur ranks and while Mayweather became the first American to defeat a Cuban fighter in two decades, Ortiz never quite made the cut for the US team in Athens. Proof then, that Olympic success is not the be-all-and-end-all in the journey from Amateur to professional boxing.  Try telling that to the British squad this weekend.

In a decade where British boxing has increased in both depth and breadth, I have turned my attention to the GB Olympic trials this weekend in London. Strange to think now that only a few years ago British amateur boxers were so thin on the ground, Amir Khan was the only fighter on the plane to Athens. His heroic Silver medal inspired a new, young and hungry generation of fighters in the UK; it begs the question of just how many future World champions (or strictly come dancing contestants) may touch gloves under York Hall’s dark ceilings this weekend. I am lucky enough to be ringside for both days of the championships; here is a summary of yesterdays action:

In the Men’s 75kg category, England’s Danny Dignum took on GB representative Callum Smith. Establishing the jab early on in the fight was the key to Smith’s success, and whilst he kept the fight at range for much of the opener, Dignum struggled to find his feet. Round 2 saw much of the same, with Smith setting up combinations with the jab, leaving Dignum frustrated, lurching forward with off balance, inaccurate punches. Smith’s comfortable start to the fight left him well in the lead going into the final round, and patient work from the Commonwealth Silver medallist saw him pick his shots and stay out of trouble. So in control was the 21 year old that he afforded himself the luxury of a few head and body combos to finish off the final round, and while Dignum fought with pride, he was outclassed by a mature and comfortable performance from his Liverpudilan rival.

Final result: Callum Smith (GB) wins 19 -8.

The Men’s 69kg category saw Scotland’s Kieron Smith take on Welshman Jamie Evans. Scottish born Smith had an obvious height and reach advantage over his opponent but failed to make it count in the early goings. Calls from his corner to use the jab were unheeded and Evans worked the inside well, landing powerful hooks to the body on numerous occasions. There is a common consensus that if a fighter holds his hands low, then his head movement must be exceptional. Smith’s jabbing hand wavered around his midsection, and while his footwork got him out of trouble from time to time, more often than not he walked clumsily onto some fairly avoidable hooks. By the end of round 2 it was too close to call but there was a feeling that it was Smith’s fight to lose. The Scotsman had bucked up his ideas by the beginning of the third and began to find his range with the jab, picking clear single shots to edge the Welshman out on points. Smith certainly looked the fresher of the two men by the bell, but will do well to work on a few defensive frailties in the coming months.

Final Result: Kieron Smith (Scot) Wins 11-8

The men’s 91kg category pitched Welshman Lloyd Davies against GB’s Warren Baister. Good early movement from Davies left Baister exposed on a number of occasions throughout the first round; the counter punching Welshman landing the cleaner of the two. Round two saw neither man convincingly take charge, Baister slightly more settled than he had been in the first, getting through on occasion with a solid left jab. The bell at the end of the second came at the right time for Davies, who looked to be tiring somewhat after taking a handful of clean shots right at the end of the round. Early in the third, Baister stepped the pace up a notch, firing off rallies of six or seven at a time, many of which scored. Davies was backed onto the ropes for large portions and it looked to be a case of damage limitation for the Welshman. Baister’s late charge saw him extend his lead over Davies, who after a promising start, was picked apart by some accurate shots from the Englishman.

Final Result: Warren Baister (GB) Wins 29-10

Boxing legend Richie Woodhall working in dual capacity as Squad Coach/Presenter as he brought us yesterdays action

The big fight of the day finally arrived after the midway interval, a much anticipated clash between two of Britain’s rising stars. In the first of a ‘Best of three’ box off in the men’s 52Kg category, England’s Khalid Yafai, former European Silver medallist and U17 World Champion, took on Welsh fighter Andrew Selby, who, after missing out on automatic qualification by one point at the World Championships, looked to cap off his incredible year with Olympic qualification. The build up to the fight was tense; many of the opinion that the box-off is unreflective of Selby’s success this year. I managed to catch up with Nigel Davis, coaching staff in  Selby’s team, shortly before the fight: ‘All I can say is that Andrew’s happy and has no qualms with the box-off, they both (Selby and Yafai) knew that this would happen before the world champs, it was pre-agreed, so it hasn’t been sprung on either of them.’

I spoke to Richie Woodhall, who was presenting the live broadcast of the fight for BBC1, moments before the first bell. As part of the official coaching set up in team GB, Woodhall could not offer a prediction for the fight, instead saying 'I think 3 fights is the fairest way of seeing who is the better fighter, there can be no accidental upsets this way.’ Woodhall also added ‘You have to take into account that although Selby’s the European champion and world silver medallist, Yafai has beaten him twice in the past, and in boxing thats a big psychological advantage, so it’s anyone’s to call’. 

Welshman Andrew Selby surveys the arena before the first of a 3 match box off with rival Khalid Yafai (ENG)

I watched Selby in his pre-fight routine for around half an hour. His focus looked fear driven; although I think it was fear of not taking an opportunity that he feels is rightfully his given what he has achieved this year, rather than fear of his opponent. Rightly so, and one could forgive Selby for feeling slightly aggrieved. However, rules are rules, and the Welshman looked supremely focussed as he went through some fast, sharp pad drills. He was a man on a mission, and there was no sign of Yafai. At 5ft 4 and only 52Kgs, Selby isn’t much to look at, almost ‘Little brother-esque’ in appearance, until he starts throwing punches that is. For a lad of his size to generate the thumping cracks coming off the pads at the rear of the arena was a sight to behold, enough to turn heads away from the ring in fact. Each combination was thrown and landed with a Ricky Hatton grunt and lightning speed.

Among the heads turned was current WBC World Super Middleweight Champion Carl Froch, who’ll be in the midst of his own preparations for a title defence against Olympic champion Andre Ward next month. As the crowd regained their positions, Khalid Yafai appeared as if by magic in the ring, and he looked in superb shape. My first thought was whether his obvious height and reach advantage was going to be a factor in the forthcoming rounds. The fighters touched gloves in the ring; there is mutual respect and definite friendship between the two men, but both know what is at stake and nothing will be reconciled until after the final bell, be it later today or at the end of the month.

Selby began the first round tentatively, feeling out his old adversary. The pace was quick, the fighters understandably twitchy. For the first minute or so, Yafai moved well, coming forward as he tends to, ducking hooks and dodging jabs on his way in. There was nothing to call between them early on, until Selby landed a crashing left hook to the chin of Yafai, sending him to the mat. Yafai, up on his feet and seemingly undeterred by the knockdown, came forward once more, returning fire with a left hook of his own, hurting Selby in the process. Although far the quicker of the two men, Selby is susceptible to a decent left hook, and later told the BBC ‘It was the hardest punch I’ve ever taken’. For a man of his stature, getting on the inside of his taller opponent was vital to his success in the first round, but he was often doing so at the expense of catching a hook. Nonetheless, round 1 went to Selby.

In a more open second round, Selby began to let go of some decent combinations, slowing Yafai down. Yafai managed to catch Selby with a few decent shots on his way in and Selby’s occasional gung-ho approach to attack left him open for the counter. Towards the end of the second however, it was clear that Yafai was being outworked by the Welshman, and with most of his combinations coming off the gloves, the Englishman was beginning to slow. Selby’s attack became relentless and he went in at the bell clearly in front.

The third round was now or never for Yafai. He began to chase Selby and try to press the fight, however this played nicely into the Welshman’s hands. Selby caught his rival on the counter time and time again; a solid right hook to the body hurt Yafai late on, who began to clinch more often. A brief readjustment of Selby’s shorts gave Yafai one last breather and a chance to regroup. If the fight had been closer, his last 30 seconds could have been crucial, as he landed 4 or 5 clean shots to the Welshman’s head, who had luckily given himself an unassailable lead. A great finish to the first fight and a clear win for Andrew Selby. One down, one to go for the Welshman. It’s going to be a long way back for Khalid Yafai.

Final Result: Andrew Selby (Wal) Wins 26-12

Keep your eyes peeled Sunday afternoon when I shall publish all the results from the weekends action. Can Andrew Selby stave off a third fight decider by beating Khalid Yafai today? Or will the Englishman learn from yesterdays mistakes and get one up on the European Champion. It’s all to play for and you can catch all the action live today on BBC1 and BBC Sport Website 1430 – 1600 GMT (12 November).