City to host Olympic ring

Boxing officials were today knocked out by news the Black Country is in line to become a base for the 2012 Olympics.

Fighters from Dominica in the West Indies plan to travel more than 4,000 miles to use Wolverhampton Boxing Club's facilities in Horseley Fields during the London Games and stay with families in the area.

Trevor Nerwal, the 44-year-old executive member of the Boxing Association of Dominica, regularly trained at the gym off Willenhall Road during a successful professional and amateur career. The ex-welterweight was given a boxing ring and other equipment by the club when he moved three years ago to start a new life on the island.

"It was a fantastic gesture from them and this will be our chance to say thank you," said Trevor today. "Wolverhampton got a new ring shortly before I left the country. After hearing about the state of the sport in Dominica, they gave me the old one along with head guards, gloves and other equipment so that I could start own gym there.

There has already been correspondence over a 20-strong team of fighters and officials being based in the city during the games. John Thomas, secretary of the 73-year-old boxing club, said: "This is a real feather in our cap."