FOURTEEN months ago Yusuf Chothia had never donned boxing gloves or entered the ring.
Now, the Canning Vale teenager has announced himself as one of Australia’s most promising young boxing talents after starring at the Australian Youth Championships.
After winning the 52kg Under-19 State Championship in March, the 17 year-old went on to win gold in the same category at the Youth National Championships.
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READ NOWVictory also secured a spot at the upcoming Oceania Boxing Championships in Samoa, with a qualification spot for the AIBA Youth Men and Women World Boxing Championships in Hungary later this year on the line.
Remarkably, Yusuf said it was a fictional boxer, not the feats of Muhammed Ali or Danny Green, that inspired him to take to the ring.
“I’ve always liked boxing, but I watched Creed and thought ‘I want to give that a go,’” he said.
“So I checked out the gym closest to us and things went from there.”
His coach James Lindley said his young charge had a good chance of winning in Samoa and praised his work ethic.
“He shows really good dedication, he’s training three times a day,” he said.
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