Exclusive:Oliver Male: Meet the Bridlington boxer believed to have Olympic podium potential
Bridlington boxing prospect Oliver Male speaks to The Yorkshire Post
Oliver Male did not enter the world of boxing with visions of trophies and glory.
Like many youngsters, he donned the gloves to channel energy in a productive manner - and to keep himself out of trouble.
Unbeknownst to Male, his venture into the sport was placing him on a path towards an Olympic podium. Now 19, he is among the hottest amateur prospects in the country.
Oliver Male’s path into boxing
“I've been boxing eight years now,” he told The Yorkshire Post. “I started when I was 10.
“When I first started, to be honest, I just enjoyed it. To be fair, I got into boxing because I used to fight a little bit. I wasn't a bad kid, I just got into a bit of trouble fighting and stuff like that. So, obviously, I pursued boxing and found a better way to use my fighting.
“I pursued boxing and then I just enjoyed it. I never really thought about winning a Yorkshire title, a national title, any titles. It was just the case of, ‘right, I'm getting in there and I'm fighting, just go and enjoy it’.”
Titles aplenty
Titles may not have crossed Male’s mind but he can now fill mantelpieces with them.
Earlier this year, the light-heavyweight scooped the prestigious Mickey May Award following his displays at the National Amateur Championships. More recently, he triumphed in the Senior Four Nations Championship.
He is now on a path towards the Olympics, having been recruited by GB Boxing to be part of their Future Olympic Medal Strategy (FOMS).
“Everybody always asks me, ‘what changed?’,” he said. “Nothing really changed.
“I just kept turning up at the gym and kept enjoying it, and that was really the difference. Some people go into the boxing gym and they want to win titles and all that. But I just kept turning up and my focus changed. Obviously, now I want to win titles. But it’s still about enjoying it.
“There was never really a point where I thought, ‘right, I can go for it now’. It was just the case of I kept turning up at the gym. I kept going.”
Putting Bridlington on the map
Yorkshire is a hotbed of boxing talent but Sheffield, Leeds and even Doncaster are more commonly associated with the sweet science than Bridlington.
For Male, the fact he is putting his coastal hometown on the map is a source of pride.
“In the grand scheme of things, out of all your world titles and stuff like that, it's (what he has achieved so far) small,” he said. “But making a mark on the town already, putting Bridlington on the map, is a huge thing for me.”
Male is dreaming of a place on the Olympic podium - but does not plan on stopping there.
“Yeah, 100 per cent [I want to represent GB Boxing at the Olympics],” he said. “And then turn professional and become world champion.”