GB boxers guaranteed three medals at European Boxing Championships
Great Britain secured at least three medals at the European Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria on 22 September 2026 after Chantelle Reid, Damar Thomas and Abdul Burton advanced to the semi-finals.
Reid recorded a 5-0 victory over Ireland's Evelyn Igharo in the women's light-middleweight division at the Asics Arena Sports Hall, the 28-year-old Commonwealth Games silver medallist will meet Serbia's Milena Matovic in the last four on Wednesday. Thomas prevailed 5-0 in a men's super-heavyweight contest against Georgia's Nikoloz Begadze and the 21-year-old has a semi-final against Mahammad Abdullayev of Azerbaijan. Burton, aged 20, secured a 3-2 win over home favourite and Olympic bronze medallist Javier Ibanez to reach the last four and is set to face Turkey's Semih Gumus.
Reid's performance produced the emphatic scoreline that sent her through to the semi-finals in Sofia, and she will contest the last four on Wednesday against Matovic. The win continued Reid's run at the tournament and confirmed her place among the medalists for Great Britain.
Thomas's super-heavyweight victory over Begadze came by the same 5-0 margin, moving the 21-year-old into a semi-final where he will meet Abdullayev of Azerbaijan. That progression ensures Thomas is guaranteed a medal as one of the three British boxers now through to the last four.
Burton battled past Javier Ibanez 3-2 to secure his semi-final slot against Semih Gumus of Turkey. "Sometimes you have got to dig in and when things went against me I had to get stuck in and show who I was," Burton said. "I am young, hungry and here to take over."
Four more British boxers — Lauren Mackie, Amy Broadhurst, Callum Makin and Oladimeji Shittu — are scheduled for quarter-final action on Wednesday, while over half of Britain's squad of 15 have been eliminated from the tournament.
On Tuesday, flyweight Ruby White was beaten 3-2 by Olympic silver medal winner Hatice Akbas of Turkey, Emily Asquith suffered a 5-0 defeat in her light-heavyweight bout with Ireland's Lisa O'Rourke, and Commonwealth Games champion Isaac Okoh bowed out with a 3-0 loss to Germany's Kevin Lebowski.
By reaching the semi-finals, Reid, Thomas and Burton have guaranteed at least three medals for Great Britain; Reid will face Milena Matovic, Thomas meets Mahammad Abdullayev and Burton meets Semih Gumus in the semi-finals, while Mackie, Broadhurst, Makin and Shittu contest quarter-finals on Wednesday.