BOXING: Australian boxing coach, Kevin Smith, is confident his team will bounce back from the disappointment of the World Championships as they prepare for one last crack at Olympic qualification next year.

Only two of Australian’s nine-strong team posted a win at the Doha World Championships, with no boxer getting past the second round.

But Smith said there could be no doubting the team’s enthusiasm.

“You could see that the boys have a great desire to qualify for Rio, and produced some very encouraging performances,” Smith said.

“There were some very close decisions that didn’t go our way, most notably against Jason Whateley and Daniel Lewis, but I’m sure the boys will all bounce back with the right attitude to secure their place in the team again at the Australian Championships in November.”

Light heavyweight Aaron Spagnolo and light welterweight David Biddle were the Australians to post wins in Doha, where a top two finish would guarantee a place at next year’s Rio Olympics.

But Smith said the door is still open for Australia to have a strong team in Brazil.

“We still have the joint continental qualifier to look forward to in China, where the draw may be a little kinder to us and the competition slightly less fierce,” Smith said.

The Australian women’s team will get its first chance to qualify spots for the Rio Olympics at the Women’s World Championships in Kazakhstan in January.

The Australian Championships on the Gold Coast in November will also double as a qualifying event for the World Championships.

ROSS SOLLY FOR BOXING AUSTRALIA