England Boxing have announced the appointment of Paul Porter as interim chief executive ©England Boxing

England Boxing have announced the appointment of Paul Porter as interim chief executive, following the news that Mark Abberley will leave the organisation at the end of September.

Porter, who has more than 30 years of experience in boxing, will oversee the organisation following Abberley’s departure with the recruitment process for a full-time replacement set to begin at the start of 2016.

Having delivered boxing events at major international competitions and multi-sport events, as well as competed and worked at grassroots level during his career, the 50-year-old is seen by England Boxing as the ideal man to guide the organisation through the transitional period.

"Paul has a wealth of experience in boxing and is widely respected both at home and abroad for his commitment and achievements in the sport,” said Caspar Hobbs, chairman of England Boxing.

“He has a superb track record of service at every level of boxing and I am confident he will use all of his experience and knowledge to drive the organisation forward.”

Porter was the boxing competition manager at the 2015 European Games in Baku, while he served as the field of play manager at the London 2012 Olympics and was technical operations manager for the sport at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Paul Porter will oversee the national governing body while the recruitment process for a full time replacement takes place
Paul Porter will oversee the national governing body while the recruitment process for a full time replacement takes place. He was was technical operations manager at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, seen here ©Getty Images

Additionally he spent two years as a boxing development officer at the Amateur Boxing Association of England, where he was tasked with growing participation in the sport in South Yorkshire.

For the past seven-years Porter has also worked as a Sport Academy Manager at Bradford College, which includes both the Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy.

The news of Abberley’s departure from the national governing body after four years in the role came last week, with the decision made by mutual consent between the 47-year-old and England Boxing’s Board.

Under his leadership, weekly participation in boxing rose by 21 per cent while the number of registered amateur boxing club members in England went from 16,500 in April 2011 to more than 18,000.

Additionally he also oversaw a process of modernisation and reform of the organisation’s governance structures, including the acceptance of new Articles of Association by its members in November 2013 to create a new 12-person Board and amend the way directors are selected.



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