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Page last updated at 14:48 GMT, Thursday, 30 October 2008

Stalker hoping to make an impact

Tom Stalker
Tom Stalker (right) hopes to be among the medals at the Europeans

Huyton lightweight Tom Stalker is targeting a medal at the European Senior Amateur Boxing Championships.

Stalker, 23, is part of an 11-man England team entered into the tournament, which takes place in Liverpool from 6 to 15 November.

He told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I don't want to say I'm going to get that gold, all I can do is give 100% and hopefully I'll come out on top.

"To be truthfully honest, I want to medal in it."

The last time Stalker boxed for England in Liverpool was in July 2007.

On that occasion he won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Federations and was also named boxer of the tournament.

Stalker says he relishes boxing in his home city: "I won't be able to sleep much next week because everyone's there and your mates don't stop phoning.

"You don't realise how many people you have behind you, it's mad."

Stalker is joined in the England team by Manchester's Joe Murray.

Murray, 21, who boxed as a bantamweight at the Beijing Olympics has now moved up to featherweight.

He says moving up in weight is a natural progression at this stage of his career.

"I qualified at bantamweight and I had to make the weight or I couldn't go to the Olympics.

"It was my dream from day one to make it to the Olympics so I pushed myself to make the weight.

"I was a big bantamweight and I'm a big featherweight so it was just natural growth."

Stalker added he is now looking to replace Frankie Gavin as England's number one lightweight.

"Frankie won't mind me saying that I don't think 60kg again, he couldn't do it in the Olympics so he's never going to do it again."

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