By Tom Degun

Andrew Selby GBMay 15 - Flyweight star Andrew Selby heads a 13-strong GB Boxing team that will compete at the 2013 European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, next month.


The 24-year-old from Wales, who reached the quarter-final at the London 2012 Olympics, will be looking to defend his title as he is the reigning European champion and he comes in the event in great form having won all six of his bouts in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) 2012-2013 season competing for the British Lionhearts.

Selby is one of two London 2012 Olympians named for the event, which are due to take place from June 1 until 8, with light welterweight Josh Taylor of Scotland also included.

Bantamweight Gamal Yafai of England, who won a bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships, and flyweight Charlie Edwards of England, who did the same in 2011, will also fight in Belarus.

Super heavyweight Joe Joyce of England is also included having won five out of six bouts in the WSB for the British Lionhearts franchise, losing only to Ukraine's reigning Olympic and world heavyweight champion Aleksandr Usyk.

The team is completed by light flyweight Jack Bateson of England, bantamweight Sean McGoldrick of Wales, lightweight Joe Cordina of Wales, light welterweight Sam Maxwell of England, middleweights Aston Brown and Antony Fowler from Scotland and England respectively, light heavyweight Lawrence Osueke of England and heavyweight Warren Baister.

Britain's London 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was not available for selection as he has only recently returned to full training after a foot operation for bunions.

Joe Joyce 2Super heavyweight Joe Joyce of England is likely to be a major medal contender at the 2013 European Championships in Belarus after impressing for the British Lionhearts in the WSB

"Tournaments at this stage in the Olympic cycle are always tough and this will be a big challenge for the boxers as the European Championships is traditionally one of the most demanding assignments in the boxing calendar," said GB Boxing's performance director Rob McCracken.

"For a lot of this group it will be their first appearance at a major tournament so it is an opportunity for these boxers to test themselves at the highest level and demonstrate that they have the qualities to become one of the mainstays of the GB squad as we build towards Rio 2016."

In 2013, the men in the GB Boxing squad have so far won 14 medals at four international tournaments, three of which were gold.

In April they returned from the Feliks Stamm tournament in Warsaw with golds for Selby and Fowler while at the start of May, Yafai and Maxwell won gold at the Algirdas Socikas Tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Ten of the team also boxed for the British Lionhearts in the WSB.

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