Repton youngster makes European podium

East London Advertiser: Yusuf Thahmim celebrates a recent winYusuf Thahmim celebrates a recent win (Image: Archant)

Repton’s star junior Levi Coates brought back a bronze medal from the European Junior Championships in Aanapa, Russia this week, after losing his semi final against red-hot home favourite Nikita Piskunov.

The latest award at international level for the Bethnal Green club follows Johnny Johnson’s gold medal success at the European schoolboy championships in the summer.

The 16-year-old Coates sparkled with two impressive wins in qualifying contests before coming up against the powerful Russian rival, who had already struck gold in international tournaments.

The Repton boxer shook Piskunov more than once with stinging punches, but the strength of the Russian told as he took the verdict from the ringside judges.

It was no surprise the following day that the home favourite went on to take the gold medal to the cheers of his home fans.

Earlier the Repton boxer launched his championship bid as he moved through the preliminary round by eliminating Moldovan rival Arbuz Sebastean.

It was an impressive display by Coates as he found the gaps in his rival’s defences to pile up the points and make sure of the 3-0 official verdict.

Hungarian entry Kristov Mislai made a determined attempt to take Coates out of his stride with two-handed attacks in their quarter-final contest.

But the east London club hope came back strongly, firing the more effective punches and making sure of the verdict as his rival faded.

The latest medal success underlines the strength of the Repton junior squad, which is already dominant on the domestic scene as they displayed with seven national finalists and four National Junior ABA champions in the summer.

*Repton can celebrate the latest success on their club dinner show at the Prince Regent Hotel in Chigwell on Friday night.

The Bethnal Green club boxers will be tested by a strong team of North East boxers from the Sunderland Area in a team match on the tournament.

Repton line up a strong squad which includes national title-holders for the latest in a series of match against Sunderland select teams.

*Broad Street boxer Yusuf Thahmim was in winning action on the Sporting Ring show in Surrey on Saturday as he scored a unanimous decision against Hampshire rival Chad Thompson (Copnor BC).

Thompson needed a count in the second round to recover after taking a powerful right from the Broad Street boxer who dominated the action.

*East London’s former British heavyweight and cruiserweight title challenger Mickey Steeds appears in a six-rounder at the Civic Hall in Grays on Saturday.

Steeds, now 31, boxed at Grays last year in his first bout since 2009 and is due to meet Durham’s Danny Fleary on the Carl Greaves promotion

Unbeaten east London-based Johnny Coyle, who won the Prizefighter welterweight title in April, looks to improve on his earlier draw in a return match against Lancashire’s William Warburton.

Also in action at Grays are unbeaten middleweights Billy Bird and Brett Saggs plus Liam Desmond, Darrell Church and Sonny Whiting.