England strike gold at U19 Futures Cup in Bangkok

England Performance returned from the U19 World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok with one gold and one bronze medal, following eight days of high-quality action against the world’s best youth boxers.

Lily Bassett of TM Boxing led the way with a superb gold medal, defeating five world-class opponents en route to the top of the podium. Jaya Kalsi (Cleary’s) also impressed, securing bronze after four demanding bouts in the Thai capital. Four of the squad are now ranked inside the top five U19 boxers in the world.

Staged at the impressive Indoor Stadium Huamark, the tournament provided an unforgettable experience for the England squad, who not only competed at the highest level but also immersed themselves in the culture.

Serena Mali, Sonny Hollingsworth, Michael Maughan and Siobhan Haley all delivered strong performances against elite opposition, gaining valuable experience and further sparring opportunities following their respective bouts.

By competing at the competition in Bangkok, all six selected boxers are now eligible for the Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in Dakar, Senegal, later this year.

Bassett’s journey to gold was particularly impressive. The European Champion navigated a challenging path, overcoming opponents from Botswana, Mongolia, Türkiye, Romania and India – stopping three of them – to underline her quality on the world stage.

Gold in Thailand seems to have only fuelled Lily Bassett’s desire for success: “Winning gold at the Future Cup in Thailand was such an amazing feeling.

“I’m really proud to have come home with the gold medal. It meant a lot to represent my country and box against girls from different countries.

“Thailand was incredible as well. It was my first time there and my first time competing on the world level – the arena was amazing, and the atmosphere was great.

“Being so far from home made it feel really special; the whole trip has motivated me even more to keep training hard and improving because I want to achieve even more in the future.”

Kalsi, who claimed silver at the U17 European Championships in December, continued her progression by adding a world bronze medal to her growing list of accolades. After stopping her first opponent from New Zealand, she recorded hard-fought victories over boxers from Ukraine and North Korea before bowing out to the eventual gold medallist from the USA in the semi-finals.

Similarly to Lily, the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage has only motivated Jaya further: “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to represent England at the World Futures Cup in Bangkok, especially to come away with a bronze medal.

“I’d like to thank England Boxing for giving me the chance to compete on such an amazing platform, in a great arena and against world-class opponents.

“I feel proud to have shared the ring with boxers from New Zealand, Ukraine, North Korea and the USA, and I’ll take a lot from every bout and keep working hard to come back stronger.”

The squad was led in Bangkok by National Coaches Mick Maguire and Louise Vidor, who have overseen the group’s development since the 2023 Schools European Championships in Maribor, Slovenia.

Maguire praised the efforts of the entire team, highlighting the importance of such competitions in preparing athletes for future success: “Attending tournaments like the Futures Cup is essential for our England squads to experience and understand where we sit in global boxing. It also allows us to gauge athletes’ reactions to situations, conditions, and styles of boxing that they just do not come across in Europe.

“This team of six have more than proved that we can operate at the very pinnacle of world-class amateur boxing, shown by both their performance levels and by the England boxers and team rankings from this competition.

“I am extremely proud of the boxers and coaches here in Thailand and of all those at home who contributed to the success in helping during the preparation period.

“Lastly, I would like to say how grateful the team and I are for the support we receive from the EB Performance team in Sheffield, the families of the boxers here and at home, and our sponsors in supporting these wonderful experiences for our young athletes.”

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Final Standings

• Lily Bassett (TM Boxing) – Gold
• Jaya Kalsi (Cleary’s) – Bronze
• Siobhan Haley (Platinum) – Quarterfinals
• Michael Maughan (Stockport & Brinnington) – Quarterfinals
• Sonny Hollingsworth (Billingham) – Round of 32
• Serena Mali (Cleary’s) – Round of 32