Fireball's son lands six world medals as Sheffield Dragons roar
"I won a world title before you, Dad!"
His nickname was 'Fireball' and he was a Sheffield boxing champion once tipped for great things.
But John Fewkes's eight-year-old son already claims to have surpassed his dad's sporting achievements.
And he doesn't mind rubbing it in!
Brunswick Primary School pupil Reggie collected four gold and two silver karate world championship medals when he represented Great Britain in Italy recently.
The Woodhouse boy blew the judges away at the World Traditional Karate Association Unified Open World Championships event in Tuscany.
And once he had collected his remarkable medal haul, the cheeky youngster went up to his Dad in the crowd and said: "I won a world title before you, Dad!"
It was a funny and proud moment for John, who was once a Central Area boxing champion with a record of 22 wins, two losses and two draws, from 26 professional fights between 2004 and 2021.
Now coach at the Titans Boxing Club, in Gleadless, Fewkes said: "Reggie just loves his karate and he has really come on at Sheffield Dragons gym in Handsworth, under Terry Johnston (a prominent martial arts instructor and a seventh-dan black belt coach.)
"He'd been coming to my boxing gym since he was in a carry-cot.
"And he started training with me, but you are always harder on your own, and he said he wanted to go and try karate.
"He loved it and has been doing it for three or four years. He's never looked back.
"He was picked to join the GB team, entered seven different categories and won six medals. It's mad - he's only little!
"I was delighted for him, he is a lovely kid, he excels at school, his teachers love him.
"He goes six or seven times a week to Dragons and I am very happy for him and all the other youngsters there who won their medals."
Rather than fighting an opponent in a conventional karate bout, Reggie - who wants to be a stuntman later in life - competes in what is known as forms, or kata, a non-contact discipline in which competitors demonstrate a carefully choreographed sequence of martial arts movements.
The routines showcase the technical side of karate, including precise stances, punches, blocks, kicks, balance, coordination, speed and control.
Judges assess the accuracy, execution, power and presentation of each performance.
It requires concentration, memory and discipline, making Reggie's achievement, alongside those of his fellow Dragons competitors, all the more impressive.
Dragons posted that their competitors had "given us so much to cheer for, with tears, tantrums, nerves and some absolutely brilliant celebrations along the way.
"They’ve represented TSD and Great Britain with pride and shown the world exactly what they’re made of.
"In all the final world medal total was 17 gold, 24 silver and 11 bronze.
"A massive well done to every single competitor. You’ve been incredible to watch, and you’ve done your team and country so proud."
RESULTS:
World Championships October 21-25, 2026, Carrara, Italy.
Flynn Gascoigne- 4 x silver, 1 bronze
Libbijo Johnston - 2 x gold
Max Johnston - 1 gold
Brodie Ardron - 3 x bronze
Joseph Eaton - 2 x silver
Luke Baker 2 x gold, 2 x silver, 3 x bronze
Seth Parsons - 2 x gold, 4 x silver, 1 bronze
Sophie Baker - 1 silver
Reggie Fewkes - 4 x gold, 2x silver
Sienna Eckhardt - 2 x gold, 5x silver, 2x bronze
Lola Harper - 3 x gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
Mitchell Duncan 2 x silver
Gareth Eckhardt 1 gold, 1 silver.