Gold for teen boxing sensation Summer
Summer Grigg…new champ of European after top performance
BIRMINGHAM has new European boxing champ in the tall, slender form of schoolgirl sensation Summer Grigg.
Today (Saturday), Birmingham’s own Bisto Kid romped to a gold medal in the European schools championships. Summer, a product of Kingstanding’s title laden Second City gym, clearly outpointed Azerbaijan’s Aysel Farajova in the final staged at the Bosnia and Herzegovina city of Banja Luka.
And, make no mistake, the 14-year-old dominated her under 40kg category –two of her three bouts before facing Farajova ended inside a round.
She booked her final place by outpointing Russia’s Ekaterina Levchenko on Thursday. Earlier in the week, Eyul Inci, from Turkey, and Ireland’s Alanna Berry were blasted out.
Proud dad Liam told me Summer, a pupil at Cardinal Wiseman School, has benefited from adding gravy to her diet. It’s helped the teenager bulk up and improve on last year’s silver medal at the same event.
And it’s not just gravy…ketchup by the dollops is helping her wallops. Sauce has partly become a surprising source for ring success.
Liam explained: “Summer would never eat sauce on meals, but she was light at the weight and began including it. I don’t think she particularly likes the stuff and that shows how dedicated she is.
“Summer eats and sleeps boxing.”
It’s very early days, but Summer looks something special – a boxer capable of blazing forward or boxing clinically on the back foot.
The England Boxing protégé showed both qualities against Farajova who entered the ring with a formidable reputation and record.
Summer fought fire with fire in the first, stinging her opponent with straight punches, then threaded counters through her opponent’s guard with surgical precision.
Second City boss Paddy Farrell has produced some fine, fine fighters – son Niall is a former Team GB regular and now a red hot pro prospect. Summer’s star shines as brightly as the gym’s best.
“I thought she was fantastic,” Paddy said. “I’m over the moon. There was a game plan going into every fight and she stuck to it. It was about showing the bully she could be bullied.
“Sometimes you have to make them know you are there, stay with them and see who has the most heat.
“I have produced multi-national champs, she is the best young fighter I have ever trained in my life. She is only 14 and she can do things the lads can’t do.
“She could be an Olympic medallist, she lives the life. The only thing with Summer is holding her back. She does everything nice and so clever. She has been boxing girls 18 months older just to get fights.”
He added: “I’m excited to see what the future holds when she becomes a senior.”
So is the rest of Birmingham boxing.