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Driver in Olympic bid

Packing a punch - Dominic AkinladeIf there is one driver at Arriva London you would not want to get on the wrong side of it is most definitely Dominic Akinlade.

Dominic, a driver at Thornton Heath, is currently training as much as he can to try and reach the lofty heights of fighting at the Olympics next year.

In fact, Dominic is so committed to achieving his goals he has even taken on a reduced schedule at work to give himself more time to train.

“I have been fighting on and off for a few years now,” he said.

“After turning 30 recently I told myself that if I really wanted to do something with my talent I have to buckle down and start training hard.”

It’s not just training that Dominic has to worry about either, as weight management is also an important part of a boxer’s lifestyle.

He said: “I have slimmed down from 23 stone to 18 stone and ideally I need to be at around 17 to 17 and a half stone when I start competing.”

Dominic currently boxes as an amateur in the super-heavyweight class but has ambitions to at some point turn professional and compete as a heavyweight.

“I have the Haringey Cup coming up which will let me get used to how everything is managed competition wise,” he said.

“After that I can focus on the World Games and, if I perform well, can then focus on either turning professional or competing at the Olympics.”

“I would rather wait to turn professional however as the going to the Olympics would be a dream come true.”

Confidence is certainly not something Dominic lacks either and he is sure that the time he has spent honing his skills will ultimately pay off.

He said: “I will be victorious, I have trained far too hard not to win.

“I just have to keep training and focus on my long term goals in the sport.”
 

Published: Mon 4 Jul 2011Modified: Mon 4 Jul 2011

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