TEENAGE super-heavyweight Enriko Itauma sensationally returned to international action when he won the European Youth championships on April 21.
He stopped all four of his opponents on his way to 92&kgs gold in Sofia, Bulgaria. He met host nation boxer Kiril Borisov in the final but simply overwhelmed him. Mobile, big, powerful, Itauma rained in punches, stunning Borisov, dropping him and stopping him in the first round. He also won the prize for boxer of the tournament.
But Itauma wasn’t England’s only European Youth champion. At 54kgs Owen Ketley beat another Bulgarian opponent in the final when he unanimously outpointed Lyuboslav Metodiev. Also at 54kgs Emily Whitworth won European Youth gold when she took a unanimous points verdict over Slovakia’s Bibiana Lovasova.
England’s Damar Thomas won the 92kgs gold medal when he unanimously outscored Romania’s Florin Ionita.
At flyweight, Lauren Mackie had to settle for silver when she lost a unanimous decision to France’s Kaelya Mopin.
With England securing four gold, one silver and two bronze medals, this equalled the country’s best-ever return from a European championship and the Youth team finished second on the medal table behind Ukraine in Bulgaria.
Read our account of the England Boxing National Amateur Championship finals here