Cameron Hammond’s proud family is ready to cheer the boxer on during his Olympic journey.
CAMERON Hammond’s closest supporters are nervously awaiting his Olympic debut bout which is set for this Sunday.
Hammond arrived at the Olympic Village in London on Tuesday.
He attended a training camp in Ireland last week with the Australian boxing team and is in top condition coming into this weekend’s fight according to his mother Vicki Hammond.
“Cameron is confident that he can perform at his best in London,” Vicki said.
“We are all so extremely proud of what he has achieved and we will be supporting him back home along with the rest of Moree,” she said.
Since first stepping into the ring as a teenager, Hammond has always one day dreamed of making the Australian Olympic team.
After winning his first 13 bouts he was talent spotted by the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
His grandfather Ronald remembers taking Cameron to the ring in his younger days and is looking forward to watching him from home on Sunday night.
“He’s done a lot of hard work to get where he is today,” Ronald said.
“Cameron told me he was going to bring home a medal and I’m confident that he will do us proud.”
For a 22-year-old stepping into his first Olympics, it would be an overwhelming moment of awe and splendour.
While there might be some of those emotions for Hammond there is also a sense of expectation.
Being ranked in the top five in the world for his weight division has the “Hammer” hungry for a medal, according to Vicki.
“He will be coming up against the top two best ranked fighters in the world so he will have to be at his best,” Vicki said.
His decisive wins at the Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers earlier this year left no doubt that he was a class above the rest.
He defeated opponents from Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand to secure his place at the London Olympics.
The support from the local community has helped Hammond reach his goal, says his grandmother Yvonne.
“We are very grateful to everyone who has helped support Cameron. We will be cheering him on from our home in Edward Street and wish him the best of luck,” Yvonne said.
The Moree Champion has so far been unable to track down a schedule of when Hammond’s fights will be televised.