Cawley targets medal places in Warsaw

ON THE RISE . . . Oldham's Will Cawley pictured after he won his national title in the Spring.

OLDHAM'S 19-year-old England Boxing Elite champion Will Cawley jetted off to Warsaw in Poland today to take part in a prestigious multi-nation tournament.

Cawley is already a member of Team Great Britain's 'Podium Potential' boxing squad based in Sheffield, but over the next five days he will join the full 'Podium' squad at the Feliks Stamm tournament, where other countries like the Phillipines, Hungary, Khazakstan and Azerbaijan will compete.

To come away with a medal - Cawley would need to win three bouts to do that - would be a dream outcome for the talented Olympic prospect.

Cawley, who when at home is put through his paces at the Oldham club with trainer Eric Noi, told the Chronicle: "This is my first GB tournament and I can't wait to get to Poland now.

"I'm still part of the Podium Potential set-up, but if I put in some good performances this week I could earn promotion to the full Podium squad which is guaranteed further funding and stuff like that. It's going to be tough, but I'm hoping to have three fights while I'm over there and I'm confident of bringing back a medal.

"Since joining up with the Podium Potential squad in the summer my boxing has come on in leaps and bounds.

"The training and sparring is just phenomenal, just as I expected it to be.

"I'm really enjoying my time at the Sheffield training base."

Meanwhile, Cawley has been selected to compete in the GB Boxing Championship finals which will be held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Thursday, December 8.

The Oldham starlet will take on Glasgow's Reece McFadden in the 52kg category, and will face a tough task as his opponent is five years his senior and a Commonwealth Games silver-medallist.