Future looks bright for golden boy Sahil Khan

The 15-year-old added to his growing reputation by striking gold in a Tri-Nations tournament in Scotland.

The event took place in the Ravenscraig Regional Sport Facility in Motherwell with Wales lining up alongside the host nation and England.

Khan proved too hot to handle in the under-50kg category with the Dudley ace beating Scotland’s Owen Paton en route to a gold medal showdown with another home fighter, David Quinn. Both victories were unanimous points decisions.

The success follows on from Khan’s title-winning displays in the National Boys Association the Junior ABA Championships.

The talented teenager trains at Merridale under the watchful eye of coaching team Kad Khan and Michael and Paul Smith.

And Kad Khan was hugely impressed by the youngster’s display.

“He performed really, really well,” said Kad. “The first lad he fought was a very game fighter and came out really strong.

“To be honest, I actually thought he had won the opening round. But Sahil made a few adjustments and went on to win the bout. It was a very, very good fight between two top boys.

“On the morning of the final, Sahil said to me that he wasn’t going home without the gold. And he fought very well in the final. He was just too good for the other lad.”

Rising star Sahil now has an international date to look forward to later this year as he continues his rise through the ranks.

He will represent Great Britain in the European Championships in Russia and his coach believes he is destined for bigger and better things.

“He has been with us for three years and is improving all the time,” added Kad.

“To be honest, as coaches, we feed of his effort and energy. He is dead keen and knows what he wants.

“He trains very hard and all the other young lads in the gym look up to him. We use him and his work ethic as an example to the other lads.

“He will be fighting for GB in the Europeans in Russia in October and he will be training hard for that now.

“It will be a great experience for him, going abroad and fighting.

“Last year he said he wanted to get on the England pathway and fight for England. We told him to be patient and to keep doing what he is doing and it would happen. And that has been the case.”

Sahil’s long-term aim is to fight for England in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

And Khan’s believes his work ethic gives him every chance of forging a successful career in the ring.

“Long term he is looking towards the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022,” said Kad.

“We were watching some of the fights in this year’s games and he said that is his target, to make the team for Birmingham.

“He is very dedicated. He trains Monday to Thursday and sometimes on Sundays.

“He wanted to come in the gym the day after winning in Scotland but I told him he needed to have a week off to rest his body.

“The biggest part of boxing is discipline and sticking to your weight.

A lot of other kids go to school and eat chocolate, crisps and chips and stuff like that, but Sahil is very strict with his diet.

“He is on the right path and improving all the while.”