He was a split decision away from final glory - but still the growing reputation of boxer Alex O'Sullivan was further enhanced on the weekend with a superb overall showing at the Junior British Championships in Motherwell.

The 15-year-old from Merlins Bridge ABC, who became National Junior champion in February, travelled to Scotland on Friday and took on the host nation's No 1 ranked fighter, Fawz Aborade, 24 hours after arriving.

Fighting at 54kg level, he won convincingly with a majority points decision, setting up a final with England's No 1, Sonny Driscoll, on Sunday.

And in a contest that could have gone either way, both fighters showed their credentials in an epic three round battle, with Driscoll eventually getting the nod on a split decision.

It meant an agonising finale to an impressive weekend for O'Sullivan, who has recently sealed his place in the Welsh squad, meaning regular trips to Sophia Gardens under the new talent ID programme. He will undergo regular training assessments while boxing internationals for Wales.

Alex currently trains nightly under the guidance of Graham Brockway, the highly regarded head coach at Merlins Bridge, and father Wayne, both of whom were in Scotland to support him along with other family and club members.