Summer is one fight away from Euro gold

Summer Grigg…making waves in Bosnia and Herzegovina

PINT-SIZED puncher Summer Grigg’s boat has come in – thanks to gravy. It’s bisto-wed the boxer with added power.

On Saturday, Birmingham’s Summer bids for gold at the European schools championships held in the Bosnia and Herzegovina city of Banja Luka.

And she believes adding gravy to her diet will provide the boost needed to better last year’s silver medal.

She’s out to grab all the major honours for England Boxing…lock, stock and barrel.

It’s not just gravy…ketchup by the dollops is helping her wallops. Sauce has partly become a surprising source for ring success.

Dad 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.”

The new diet appears to be working wonders. The 14-year-old product of Kingstanding’s Second City club has won two of her three bouts in Banja Luka by first round stoppage.

In all, she’s won 13 of 16 fights and nine of those wins have come early. No wonder she’s affectionately known as “Pitbull” at the Second City gym where she’s been a fixture since the age of eight.

Now only Azerbaijan’s Aysel Farajova stands between Summer and the under 40kg gold.

Summer celebrates beating the Russian. Pic: Facebook

She booked her 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.

Liam, who has travelled to the tournament with wife Rebecca and Summer’s two sisters, said: “The Russian did a lot of holding. Without that, I think she would’ve been stopped, too.

“Summer is relentless. She can box and she can punch. Now we go for the big one after three fights in five days.”

Second City boss Paddy Farrell alerted me last year to the fact Summer was something special.

He said: “She is a real talent,” said Paddy, “she does everything perfectly. It’s not the power, but the accuracy, that stops opponents. She’s been sparring with the lads from the get-go.

“When Summer came to our gym, she wouldn’t even talk. She really was in her own shell, a real timid girl. Her mum and dad were worried she may get bullied and school.”

Summer has certainly come a long way since then and Paddy praised trainer Paul Rutter for the transformation.

He said: “Paul has spent hours and hours with her. He has been amazing.”

In her own patch, Summer is already something of a star. Her school, Cardinal Wiseman, have already twice named her Sports Personality of the Year.

That star will shine a lot farther should she lift a European gold.