THIRTEEN year old Shayne Smith has struck gold for Norton Radstock ABC at the prestigious Bristol Box Cup event staged in Thornbury.

Held over a weekend and attracting nearly 200 boxers, Shayne was up against a boxer from Waterside ABC, Rhys Darwen. Going into the weekend Shayne boasted a record of two bouts and two wins whereas his opponent Darwen had collected six wins.

Shayne was quickly into action from the first bell against his more experienced opponent. Shayne showed good defensive movements with his head and was catching a lot of his opponents shots with his gloves and counter punching.

Shayne also showed a good variety of attacking shots of his own to take the first round.

Keeping the same work-rate going Shayne continued going forward in round two but Darwen was also having his own success.

This high level of boxing continued into the third and final round as all hopes of the gold rested on this. Both boys worked hard, not giving an inch of advantage to the other.

However, the last round went Shayne's way because of his fitness and defence. Having a bit more left in the tank helped as he slipped and countered a lot of his opponents punches, especially with his left hook.

Shayne showed maturity beyond his years in the way he took it all in, embracing the atmosphere, and being patient while other bouts went ahead of him and accepting the challenge in front of him.

“This is just the start for Shayne. He has the ability and determination to do really well and it's going to be a pleasure going on his journey with him" said his jubilant head coach Sean. "I also want to give a big shout-out to my assistant coach Ashley Hitchott who has helped in Shayne's development and fitness leading up to the weekend’s success.”