SHE may only be 16, but young boxer Lilly Deacon is already dreaming of Olympic glory and turning professional.

That might not be out of reach either, with the teenager making her mark on the international stage with a bronze medal for England at the European Junior Boxing Championships in Italy this autumn.

Victory over Turkey, followed by defeat to Romania, was enough to secure Deacon a third-place finish in the 63-66kg category, a weight division that has not always been kind to her.

But rather than focus on the minor negatives, it makes sense to focus on just what a big deal it is for Deacon to travel to Italy and compete aged 16 and come back with a medal.

Reflecting on her achievement, Deacon told the T&A: "This has been the biggest thing yet in my boxing career.

"I've been national champion in England but this was my first time competing and winning a medal in European competition.

"It was a good experience for me to fight against people at that level.

"It was a tough bout against my Turkish opponent, but after winning that, I couldn't beat the Romanian girl I was up against in the semis.

"I only had a couple of fights to get that bronze, because there aren't that many girls that box at my weight."

That is a problem Deacon encounters at Platinum Boxing Gym in Queensbury, run by her father John, and where she trains out of.

The teenager, who is from Shelf, explained: "Dad's helped me out with my career since I was young, and even though he wasn't a boxer himself, he knows all about the sport.

"The gym is great for me to train at, but because there aren't a lot of girls at my weight, I tend to have to travel for hours if I need to go somewhere and spar.

"I'm not sure why there are so few girls at my weight, but hopefully that won't be a problem in a few years, if more and more of us take up the sport."

There have been a couple of blockbuster women's fights in 2022, which have helped the sport's popularity to grow, with Katie Taylor taking on Amanda Serrano and Claressa Shields facing Savannah Marshall.

Deacon said: "I look up to all of them, but I'm a particularly big fan of Katie Taylor.

"Her and Tyson Fury are the two boxers that really inspire me."

And that love for the sport means Deacon has some big ambitions going forward for her career, at both amateur and professional level.

She said: "If I win at the English Championships next year, I'll get to go to the Youth Commonwealth Games out in the Caribbean, which would be a big thing for me.

"I'd love to be on the Great Britain team one day at the Olympics, and hopefully after that, I'll get the chance to turn professional."