Olympic dreams: boxer Anthony Ogogo
Last updated on .From the section Olympics
Lowestoft boxer Anthony Ogogo says he is willing to fight through the pain barrier to realise his Olympic dream.
The middleweight was carrying a shoulder injury when he lost in the opening round of June's European Boxing Championships in Turkey.
"You never know when your arms are going to be sore, your legs are going to be sore, your head is going to be sore," he said.
"You need to have that mental strength to overcome it."
Ogogo, a silver medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, said the shoulder injury meant he was boxing with one hand against Georgia's Jaba Khositashvili.
"I've been boxing well all year and then come to a major and my body starts to break down," he said.
"What made it even more frustrating was out of the four-semi finalists, I'd beaten three of them this year already.
"But that happens in boxing."
He is now focusing on September's World Championships, which double as qualifiers for the Olympics.
"If I get selected they will be the biggest thing I've ever been to.
"To make it to the Olympic Games you've got to make it to the last eight, out of 60 people, which is going to be no mean feat.
"Hopefully I'll get there and confirm my seat at the Olympics."
If he is not successful in the Azerbaijan tournament, Ogogo will have a final chance to qualify next April at the European Qualifying Event.
"Leaving it to April I'd probably have a few grey hairs by then, so hopefully I'll get the qualifying spot in the World Championships."
As for the pressure to build on his Commonwealth success, Ogogo said most of this is self-imposed.
"There is a lot of pressure," he said. "It's not just people's expectations, it's my own dreams and it's what I've worked towards for the past 10 years.
"I try to remove myself from the situation and just take one fight as it comes."
