Britain takes five medals but no gold after triple final defeat at Europeans
Great Britain ended the European Boxing Championships with five medals and no gold after all three finalists lost their deciders in Bulgaria.
The final tally was three silvers and two bronzes from a 15-strong squad, according to results reported on 25 September. All three Britons who reached finals day were beaten. BBC Sport
Abdul Burton went first in the books. The 20-year-old lost 5-0 to Russia's Viacheslav Rogozin in the men's super-bantamweight final. In amateur boxing, that score means all five ringside judges gave the bout to his opponent.
Chantelle Reid followed in the women's light-middleweight final. The Commonwealth Games silver medallist was beaten 5-0 by Turkey's Busenaz Surmeneli. Another unanimous call. No arguments on the cards.
Damar Thomas came closest to gold. The 21-year-old Londoner and Commonwealth gold-medal winner lost 3-2 to Russia's David Surov in the men's super-heavyweight final, the division for the biggest boxers. A 3-2 score is a split decision, with the judges divided.
The two other medals were bronzes. Callum Makin and Dimeji Shittu both lost their semi-finals, which in this tournament still earns a place on the podium. There is no box-off for third.
The road to the finals had promised more. Burton had beaten a Paris 2024 Olympic medallist to guarantee himself a medal and reach the last four, alongside Reid and Thomas. GB Boxing
That trio secured at least three medals for Britain when they came through their quarter-finals. Thomas then stopped Mahammad Abdullayev to reach the super-heavyweight final, while wins for Shittu and Makin pushed the team total to five. Sky Sports
Britain had sent a seasoned group to Sofia, including nine Commonwealth Games medallists in the 15-boxer squad. Elsewhere in the tournament, Ireland's Lisa O'Rourke won gold in the women's 80kg final.
For fans, this means names to remember rather than titles to celebrate. Burton and Thomas are 20 and 21, still at the start of senior amateur careers. Silver hurts. It also teaches fast.
