Express & Star

Halesowen ace Osama Mohamed aiming to land second national title

Halesowen boxing ace Osama Mohamed is aiming to land a second national title this weekend.

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Osama Mohamed and Kev Dillon.

The 18-year-old will go for gold in the England Boxing Youth Championships at Barnsley Metrodome, after chalking up the latest win of his illustrious amateur career.

Mohamed, of Lions ABC, scored a unanimous pre-quarter final win over Gemini’s Lucas Biswana in Cannock last weekend.

He has now been granted a bye through to the semi-finals of the 63.5kg competition, due to take place tomorrow with the final scheduled for Sunday.

Mohamed, already crowned a Midland champion for a fifth time, is aiming to follow up his previous triumph on the national stage in 2019, having finished runner-up in last year’s Youth Cadet Championships.

Sharpstyle ABC’s Levi Barnes, who beat him in that final, has also progressed through to the quarter-finals of the current tournament.

“Osama has beaten Levi twice and lost to him twice so there is a bit of a rivalry there. It could well be they meet again,” said Lions head coach Kev Dillon.

“Osama has made the national final three times now which is an excellent record. He is so consistent.

“The win over Biswana was a really good one but he was straight back in the gym on Monday training for the next round.”

While Mohamed has his eyes fixed firmly on the prize, there was disappointment for club-mate William Wilson, who lost out to Rotunda’s Mikey Evans in the pre-quarters of the 60kg Youth Cadet Championships.

Wilson went into the bout in buoyant mood having won a Midland title for the first time in his career but found Evans a little too strong and was on the end of a unanimous verdict. “We couldn’t have any complaints about the decision but every round was tight,” said Dillon. “It could easily with a few shots here and there gone the other way. William still has plenty to be proud of.”

Elsewhere, there was joy for Warley’s Amaan Ghulam, who reached the last four of the 51kg Youth Championships with victory over Reece Britnell of Lee Jones ABC.