Dream England debut as Nico lands gold

Leivars (15) put on an impressive performance to win his medal at the GB Junior Three Nations, which took place at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell, Scotland.

The Mansfield prospect, who is sponsored by AS Plant’s Andy Sutton, achieved his lifetime goal of wearing the England vest for the first time, a big achievement in itself, and celebrated his 43rd amateur bout by winning the 54kg category.

Leivars travelled with the England team, staying together in the hotel on the Friday, and the draw for the semi-final on the Saturday morning saw him pitted against hot favourite Sam Hickey.

England team manager Tyrone Harold said: “Nico wasted no time in establishing himself from the bell. He used a full range of shots from clever angles to score well, working his way in with his jab to get inside his taller opponent’s guard and score with powerful combinations.

“This was the performance of the day so far, with Nico beating a popular home favourite to book his place in the final.”

After the semi-final the team went back to the hotel and rested in preparation for the following day, where Leivars was in the final against Scottish champion Peter McPhee.

Harold said: “ This was an awkward encounter for Nico, but he showed maturity in his skills to peg back the elusive Scotsman.

“He switched from head to body, using good footwork and sharp combinations, and his performance brought him a very well deserved gold medal in the 54kg class by a unanimous decision.”

Stags Boxing Academy head coach Jules Leivars said “This was the Icing on the cake for what has been an outstanding season for Nico. At only 15 years of age, to represent his country in the GB Junior Three Nations proves that hard work and dedication does pay off.

“This kid trains six days a week, some days even training twice a day. His dedication and commitment is outstanding.

“He is a 15 year old with maturity beyond his years and has a great future in the sport of boxing. As a club that has only been open since January this year, it’s a great all round achievement.”