Just refer to them as the Fab Four!
Mark Dickinson, Calum French and the McCormack twins, Luke and Pat, have been named by Team GB at the European Games in Belarus in June.
The Birtley quartet make up 25 percent of the Britain’s 12-strong boxing squad for the event in Minsk from June 21-30.
It is the second staging of the Europe’s own version of the Commonwealth Games and the North-East boxing stars will compete alongside 101 British athletes from 11 sports for Team GB.
Given the power that exists in European boxing, this tournament will represent an acid test with the Olympic Games just 426 days away.
But there will be great excitement for all four North-East boxers.
Pat McCormack has established himself as one of the top welterweights on the planet.Over the last 15 months, he has struck title after title after title.
The Washington talent began the gold rush by defeating Northern Ireland’s Aidan Walsh to win the U69 kilo crown at the Commonwealth Games
The 23-year-old (pictured) followed that up at the European Union Championships in Spain, where he beat Spain’s Youba Sissokho in the final. Earlier this year he won the Gee Bee Tournament in Finland which featured many leading welters, hammering India’s Dinesh Dagar to win gold.
Luke has also piled up the medals in the same period.
Britain’s main man at 64 kilos, he took a bronze from the Commonwealths on the Gold Coast.
Luke then won the EU light-welterweight title with a unanimous points victory over Paulo Di Lernia but better was to come in Finland.
There the Graeme Rutherford-trained star came away with the best male boxer of the tournament trophy and the gold medal after a stunning display to beat European Youth Champion, Ilia Popov.
Luke took part in the first staging of the European Games in Baku, where he went out in the last 16 to France’s Sofiane Oumiha. Sunderland’s Josh Kelly won bronze, one of 47 medals gained by Team GB.
French will be just as eager as double Mac act to get to Minsk.
The 23-year-old, from Gateshead, missed out on a medal at the Commonwealths but rectified that with a silver at lightweight at the EU Championship in Valladolid, where he had the misfortune to run up against the excellent Oumiha.
Completing the Birtley contingent of the ‘middle’ weights of the male team is Dickinson.
It is the 19-year-old’s debut major senior international competition.
But the middleweight has already enjoyed a taste thanks to gold at the Gee Bee Tournament, where he was brilliant in beating Russia’s Vadim Tukov.
The ‘Fab Four’ are joined by six male colleagues.
In the weights below, Aqeel Ahmed, Galal Yafai and Peter McGrail represent GB at 49, 52 and 56 kilos, while in the divisions above are Ben Whittaker, Cheavon Clarke and Frazer Clarke.
Two women are in Team GB’s squad, Lauren Price and Rosie Eccles, who qualified for the event via their performances at the 2018 European Championships in Bulgaria.
Words: Roy Kelly
