Who ate all the byes?

Aug 12 2008 By Stuart Rayner, The Journal

IN the first part of our exclusive series from Beijing Tony Jeffries spoke of his disappointment at missing the opening ceremony but the Sunderland boxer has since had a stroke of luck, he tells Stuart Rayner.

WHEN Tony Jeffries arrived in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics it was with only one regret in his mind. With the first round of the light-heavyweight competition scheduled for Saturday morning, the man from Sunderland knew he was going to miss out on the Opening Ceremony.

The Chinese produced a stunning showpiece to launch the 29th Modern Olympiad and thanks to a stroke of good fortune earlier in the day, the 23-year-old was able to experience it from the middle.

The Briton was handed a first-round bye, leaving him two wins away from a medal, but Jeffries admitted it was a mixed blessing. He was delighted to get a taste of the Olympic pageantry, however.

"As soon as they lit that torch in the Bird's Nest Stadium it hit home that I was really at the Olympics," he said. "The atmosphere at the opening stadium was brilliant, it was something I'll never forget. The crowd was great, it was really encouraging to see Team GB had so much support."

In some ways, missing the first round will help Jeffries' chances of making the podium in China but he sees it as a double-edged sword.

"I was happy to get a bye," he said. "I won't have my first fight now until Thursday (he takes on Columbia's Eleider Alvarez at around 7am British Summer Time). The flip-side, though, is that it's given me even more time to think about the scale of what's in front of me.

"Every time I start to think of it and what a big occasion it is, I'm starting to feel more pressure.

"Life here in the Olympic Village is starting to get a bit boring because I'm limited in what I can do. At the moment it's just training, eating and replying to all the good luck messages I've had on Facebook.

"I've had loads of people sending me messages on Facebook to wish me good luck and I really appreciate that. My website, tonyjeffries.com, has been getting a lot of hits too. It's brilliant to know there's so much support for me back home and I'll be desperate to do my best for them all when I get into the ring on Thursday."