The 26-year-old from Liverpool firmly established himself as GB Boxing's first choice in the 60kg category picking up a gold medal for England at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

He also claimed victory at the inaugural Great Britain Boxing Championships at the Echo Arena in Liverpool in November.

Stalker claimed a silver medal at the European Championships in Moscow to put himself firmly in pole position for selection in the Olympic qualifying events in 2011.

"It's been an amazing last few months and the challenge now is to keep working hard and improving," he said.

Stalker was also named the Amateur Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writer's Club of Great Britain.

He only started boxing at the age of 18 and admitted the sport has helped him turn his life around after misspent youth.

"I was a bit of a tearaway," he had previously stated.

"I'm not proud of it.

"I used to rob cars.

"I was just a young lad and I didn't know what direction to go in.

"I wanted to do something with my life, so I went to the local boxing gym that my two brothers were going to."

The move marked a new chapter in his life and Paul King, the chief executive of the ABAE has tipped Stalker to be a big prospect come London 2012.

King said: "The next 18 months is going to be the making of Tom.

"He has a fantastic opportunity to build on a great year."

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