THE Mayor of Dudley gave a knockout reception to a Dudley boxer who was recently crowned National Junior Champion.

Councillor Dave Tyler invited 15-year-old rising boxing star Sahil Khan to a special civic reception on Monday (May 14) to celebrate his success.

The Hillcrest School and Community College pupil has trained at Merridale Boxing Club in Wolverhampton since the age of 12 and having recently won the national junior title in his weight, Sahil automatically secured a place to represent England at the Junior and Youth Three Nations Championships later this month.

He will also compete at the European Championships in Russia in October.

Cllr Tyler said: “It was wonderful to meet Sahil, a talented young man that has trained hard at grassroots level and risen through the ranks to represent his country on the national and European stage.

“I wish him all the very best in his forthcoming competitions and look forward to following his progress.”

Sahil added: “I am grateful for all the support from my parents, family, school, coaches at Merridale Boxing Club and the Mayor of Dudley.

"I am proud to be representing England and Dudley and I am training hard in preparing for the tri-nation championship and look forward to winning the title.

"I will continue to work hard to go on to better and bigger things particularly representing our country at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”