WELSH boxers Sean McGoldrick, Joe Cordina and Kody Davies have all been selected to represent the British Lionhearts as the World Series of Boxing (WSB) returns next week.

St Joseph’s duo McGoldrick and Cordina will fight at bantamweight (56kg) and lightweight (60kg) respectively and Blackwood boxer Davies at heavyweight (91kg).

The Lionhearts squad is made up of 30 boxers from GB Boxing’s Podium and Podium Potential squads and eight overseas selections in accordance with the regulations of WSB.

The contingent from GB Boxing includes all six of the medalists from last year’s European Championships in Bulgaria when Great Britain delivered its best ever performance at that tournament returning with a gold for Cordina, silver medals for Harvey Horn, Muhammad Ali, Qais Ashfaq and Pat McCormack and a bronze for Joshua Buatsi.

They are joined by the experienced pair of Joe Joyce and Antony Fowler, who both have Commonwealth Games golds and World Championship bronze medals to their name.

Newport’s McGoldrick also won Commonwealth Games gold in 2010 and bronze at Glasgow 2014.

WSB provides a qualification route to this summer’s Rio Olympics.

Boxers that compete once in seasons 2015 and 2016 or twice in season 2016 will be eligible for selection by GB Boxing to compete at the WSB Olympic qualifying event in Sofia in May.

Rob McCracken, GB Boxing’s performance director and head coach of the British Lionhearts, said: “Competing in WSB is one of the qualification routes for Rio so this is a very important part of the GB Boxing squad’s programme for 2016.

“The format is slightly different to traditional Olympic-style boxing but this is our third season in WSB so we have more experience of the tournament, which will provide valuable competition opportunities for the boxers as we move into the business end of the Olympic cycle.”

The new season of WSB begins on Thursday, January 21, when the Lionhearts take on the USA Knockouts in Miami.

The team follows this with a trip to Morocco to face the Atlas Lions on Friday, February 5.

The first home match is against the Mexico Guerreros on Thursday, February 18, at London’s York Hall.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Thursday, January 21 at http://tickets.sky.com/Boxing/World-Series-of-Boxing.

The remaining home fixtures will be see the Lionhearts take on the USA Knockouts on March 3 and the Morocco Atlas Lions on March 17.

A season ticket is available for all three home matches priced £30.