Medalist Paige packs a punch at World Youth Boxing Championships

Student Paige Goodyear has cemented her place as one of GB’s top young fighters after winning a bronze medal at the World Youth Boxing Championships in Hungary.

Paige, aged 17, will be back at UCB next month where she is studying Boxing Education (BoxED): Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) formally AASE – the course run in partnership with England Boxing which is open to talented, young sportsmen and sportswomen capable of representing Team GB at the highest levels of Olympic competition.

She made the perfect start in Budapest, stopping Mongolia’s Anu Namjim in her opening fight in the 69kg category, and then guaranteed herself a medal with a 3-2 verdict against tough Hungarian boxer Vicktoria Ambrus who was cheered on by the home crowd.

Paige’s championship ended when she lost out to Canadian Charlie Cavanaugh on points in the semi-finals but Ivan Cobb, head boxing coach at UCB, said Paige should be proud of her medal-winning performance.

“She’s done really well. It is the first time that anyone on her course across the country has won a medal at the championships,” he explained.

It is the first time both male and female boxers have fought in the same World Youth Boxing Championships and there have been more than 360 boxers taking part from 66 different countries.

Paige took up boxing seven years ago and is a member of Brooklands ABC in Dudley. She was runner-up at the English Women's Youth National Championships earlier this year and reached the quarter-finals of the European Confederation Women's Youth Boxing Championships which were held in Italy in April.

Ivan added: “Paige learnt a lot at the Europeans and hopefully she can inspire other students when she comes back and talks to them about what she achieved in Hungary.”