Teenage Sheffield boxer strikes gold in Germany
Emmanuel Kargbo trains out of De Hood Boxing
Sheffield boxing prospect Emmanuel Kargbo has added another major international gold medal to his rapidly growing collection after a sensational run at the 51st International Chemiepokal in Germany.
The 18-year-old De Hood Boxing fighter won all three of his bouts in Halle to take the heavyweight title – beating two of Germany’s leading fighters before defeating fellow England international Akinola Tjinai in the final.
Kargbo, from Westfield, first beat Germany’s David Nwanya on points before stopping Eris-Andi Lushtaku in the third round.
Nwanya is a member of Germany’s national squad, while Lushtaku is a multiple German age-group champion.
Kargbo then completed his golden run by beating Tjinai unanimously in an all-English final.
His own summary was typically understated.
“Two unanimous wins and one stoppage to get me gold,” he told The Star.
The victory comes less than a year after Kargbo – boxing out of Sheffield’s De Hood club – became European Under-19 champion at 90kg, a remarkable achievement given that he'd had only a handful of bouts when he won the title.
His latest success came on his first competition appearance for GB Boxing, which confirmed that Kargbo has been added to its World Class Performance Programme.
De Hood coach Reagan Denton was quick to celebrate his fighter's latest achievement.
“Super proud of my boy, he has only gone and WON gold again in Germany, taking on three top class opponents: well done. Carry on being you it’s working champ.”
For Kargbo, the Chemiepokal victory is another significant step in a remarkable rise that has taken him from relative newcomer to European champion and now international senior tournament winner in little more than a year.
The 90kg division is the amateur heavyweight category – roughly equivalent to cruiserweight in professional boxing – making Kargbo’s victory an especially promising marker as he begins his senior international career.
And, crucially, he did it the hard way: three fights, three wins, two unanimous decisions and a stoppage.