Opening day of mixed fortunes at 2026 European Championships in Sofia

ABDUL Burton secured an impressive victory on an opening day of mixed fortunes at the 2026 European Championships in Bulgaria as Paddy Hewitt exited the competition.

More than 400 athletes from 40 national federations will compete in Bulgaria from 17th–26th September, with 15 members of the GB Boxing squad entered into the competition, as well as Emily Asquith (W80kg), representing England Boxing’s Performance Senior squad.

Abdul Burton, competing in his first major tournament as a senior, got the day and the team off to a flying start in Sofia as he confidently defeated Omid Ahmadsafa, who was representing the refugee team, by unanimous decision.

The European U23 silver medallist will now compete in the round of 16 on Saturday against Romania’s Adrian Preda.

Burton said: “It’s good to get the ball rolling for the team.

“It’s a big opportunity for me here and I’m grateful to both GB Boxing and Rob (McCracken) for selecting me. Now it’s up to me to crack on and go out there and get a medal.

“Of course, we aim for gold, but to get a medal at this competition would be a great achievement, especially on the major international stage.”

Paddy Hewitt competed in day one’s evening session, where he took on Spain’s Frank Martinez in a light-middleweight contest.

Hewitt edged the opening round 3:2, but his Spanish opponent responded well in the remaining rounds to claim a unanimous victory.

No GB boxers are in action on Friday 18th September, but you can still follow all of the action LIVE via https://eurovisionsport.com/en.