Reid and Thomas secure gold-medal bouts at European Boxing Championships
Chantelle Reid edged Serbia's Milena Matovic 3-2 in the light-middleweight semi-final, while Damar Thomas blanked Azerbaijan's Mahammad Abdullayev 5-0 in the super-heavyweight division. Both will compete for gold on Friday in Sofia. Callum Makin and Dimeji Shittu also guaranteed medals after quarter-final wins.
Reid, 28, recovered from a slow start against Matovic, dropping the opening round before sweeping the second and edging the third. She now faces Turkey's Busenaz Surmeneli, who advanced by beating Russia's Nadezhda Golubeva. Thomas, 21, dominated throughout his 5-0 shutout and will meet Russia's David Surov in Friday's final.
Shittu, 24, rebounded from his Commonwealth Games silver with a clean 5-0 win over Austria's Lucky Aimufua, setting up a Thursday semi-final against Russia's Cheerav Ashalaev. Makin, 22, edged Armenia's Marat Mikaelyan 3-2 and faces Azerbaijan's Saidjamshid Jafarov. Abdul Burton also competes Thursday against Turkey's Semih Gumus.
These results could raise the profile of British amateur boxing ahead of future international competitions, potentially inspiring grassroots participation in the sport. The guaranteed medals may strengthen funding arguments for development programmes, while individual performances could influence selection decisions for major championships. For the boxers themselves, strong showings may enhance their standing with professional promoters and attract sponsorship interest, though the immediate focus remains on converting semi-final success into gold.