Byron Boxing Club teenager Sonny Kerr has secured gold medal glory at the prestigious Zagreb Open in Croatia.
Sonny, 16, secured three victories over three days in the Croatian capital to top the podium of one of the biggest events on the European boxing calendar.
A British and Scottish champion, Sonny defeated Vasileios Topalos of Greece by unanimous decision in the final.
He overcame Ukrainian champion Kirill Bazhhenov in the semi-final having defeated Croatian Luke Jerkovic in the earlier round.
There is no let up for jet-setting Sonny who spent two weeks at an elite training camp in Russia before competing in Croatia.
One of the hottest young boxers in Scotland, the teen today flew out to France to compete in a France v Scotland tournament this weekend.
Sonny said: “It was great to secure gold and get my name back out there in my first tournament since the Covid pandemic last year.
“I hope people sit up and take notice of me.
“It’s an international tournament and on the EUBC (European Boxing Confederation) calendar for a reason – it’s not an event for the faint hearted.
“I had three fights in three days. The first was against the Croatian number one and I boxed well in that contest.
“I could hear the home supporters but I am here for hard fights.
“Ultimately if you box your best you are confident of getting the decision and that’s what happened against the Croatian boxer.
“Then I boxed the European bronze medalist and two time Ukrainian champion in a clever chess match fight and came out on top.
“I boxed really well in that one.
“In the final I used my boxing skills against a Greek opponent.
“He was very strong but I used his strength against him to get the win.”
Russia, Croatia… now France for Sonny
Sonny was part of a Scotland squad that was embedded in a two week training camp in Russia last month.
Following the camp in Anapa the squad then travelled to Krasnodar to compete in the prestigious Nikolay Pavlykova Memorial tournament with countries from as far afield as Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Sonny was too young to compete in the Nickolay Pavlykova Memorial Tournament.
However his selection for the camp underlines his stature as one of the top young talents in the country.
Next stop for Sonny is France.
He said: “I fly out on Friday to France for an international duel on Saturday.
“It is France v Scotland, where teams from the nations go against each other.
“It is great to box for Scotland.
“I’m going into the youths next year and the tournaments I have been boxing in are perfect preparation for that.
“I will have two year in the youths and really want to make my mark there.”
An inspiration to young boxing prospects
Byron Boxing Club, based in Aberdeen’s Northfield area, continues to offer a platform for rising talent and an outlet for youngsters.
Professional boxer John Docherty, who boasts a pro record of nine wins and one loss, is a product of Byron Boxing and won a bronze medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Byron Boxing Club teenager Fawaz Abarode is currently competing for Scotland at the AIBA World Championships in Serbia.
Fawaz, 19, won his opening bout in defeating Anthony Joseph of Trinidad and Tobago.
Sonny and Fawaz are at the forefront of an exciting new breed of talent at Byron Boxing Club.
Gold medal star Sonny aims to lead by example and inspire young prospects.
He said: “I want to show the kids what can be done and build the gym to bring the next generation up.
“That is important to me now. I want to build the gym.
“I want to get the gym buzzing.”
