Friend is now a foe for Osama Mohamed

The Lions Boxing Club ace will step into the ring at Solihull’s Tudor Grange Academy for a NAGBC’s Championship semi-final clash.

And the 15-year-old who is on the England Boxing Pathway, will know the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent in the 57kg Class A category, Sharpstyle ABC’s Levi Barnes, having already beaten him this season and sparred with him on numerous occasions.

Mohamed, who won the National Junior Cadet title earlier this year and a second successive gold in the prestigious Monkstown Cup, added to his growing reputation with a hugely impressive victory against Miley Cash in the quarter-finals of the competition last weekend.

And Kev Dillon, head coach at the Brierley Hill-based fight factory, is hoping his young star can hit those standards again.

“It was a really comfortable victory for Osama,” said Dillon. “He boxed really well against a very good lad who has been an ABA champion.

“Osama was just too fast and too strong. In fairness, the lad was hanging on in the last round.

“It was a brilliant display against a high-calibre opponent.

“Hopefully Osama will follow that up with another victory on Sunday.

“He will have to be at his best because the lad he is fighting, Levi Barnes, is also on the England Boxing Pathway.

“They spar regularly together at the England training camps and they have become friends.

“But they won’t be friends in the ring because they both want the same thing, and that is a British title.

“He is a tricky boxer. Osama will have to maintain a high work rate and beat him to the punch.

“It’s going to be a good contest, but Osama can take some confidence from the fact he got the better of him on a split decision on our last show.

“Tom Jones won the All England National Development title last month and it would be fantastic for the club to have another national champion.”

It’s a busy time for Dillon, with Lions staging their latest club show at Wilson Hall in Cradley next Friday.