With undisputed heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk looking on, Teagn Stott defeated a Ukrainian opponent to reach the 85kgs final of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.
Sheffield’s Stott, who only turned 22 on the first day of competition at the M&S Bank Arena, should have been feeling the pressure in his first major tournament with Ukrainian boxing royalty watching from ringside.
But Stott handed Danylo Zhasan a points decision defeat, winning for four of the five judges as he progressed to the gold-medal bout.
Zhasan suffered a cut early in the bout as Stott edged the first round. The GB boxer kept the shape of his boxing well, landing neat punches as he steered the contest his way.
Teagn Stott celebrates his World championship medal.
Emily Asquith, from the England performance team, booked her place in the 80kgs final.
India’s Pooja Rani swept the first round for all five judges, but Asquith staged a remarkable comeback. She forced herself into contention in the second round.
In the final stanza she set about Rani as the Indian 80kgs backed up. Landing clean long punches gave Asquith the final say in the contest as she snatched a split decision win.
GB boxers Chantelle Reid, Odel Kamara and Callum Makin all finished the tournament with bronze medals.
Reid, a returning Paris Olympian, worked well in the opening stages of her 70kgs semi-final with Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova. Level going into the final round, Bogdanova secured a close split decision win.
Kamara lost a close split decision after a tremendous battle with the World Youth champion.
Boxing at 70kgs and rising to occasion in front of hometown support, Kamara tore into Torekhan Sabyrkhan in their opening round. He set down a marker then and landed some heavy punches in the second round too. The result hinged on the scoring of that close second round. Sabyrkhan scored just well enough in it for the judges that his strong finish in the third won him the contest.
Stott hammered his quarter-final opponent to secure a stoppage win.
On Friday another Liverpudlian amateur star Callum Makin bowed out with a bronze medal after a loss to Paris Olympian Rami Kiwan of Bulgaria.
It marked the end of an amazing journey for the 21-year-old middleweight who was only promoted to GB Boxing’s elite Podium Squad less than six months ago.
In a battle of the southpaws, the first round saw Kiwan use his long reach to try and take control with the jab, while Makin frequently countered by doubling up his own jab.
A point deduction for Makin in round two gave the Bulgarian the upper hand and he saw the fight out in the third to secure a unanimous victory.
Chantelle Reid is a World bronze medallist.
Makin said: “While I am disappointed with the result tonight, when I reflect on the last week or so, I can only be pleased with what I have achieved.
“Less than six months ago, I was in GB Boxing’s Academy squad with barely an international experience and now I am in the top four in the world.
“I want to thank my club coaches, the GB coaches and all the people that came out to support me. It means the world, and I hope I did you proud.”