Lilly Deacon earns England Boxing plaque after USA gold

Platinum ABC, Queensbury, and star boxer Lilly Deacon were presented with a unique personalised plaque from England Boxing after the fighter’s recent success in Colorado, USA.

Deacon made history on the global stage, taking home gold from the U19 World Championships, and was one of eight British boxers to take home the top prize from the tournament.

England Boxing since decided to reward not only the fighters for their achievements, but their respective clubs too with a special plaque that they can showcase in their gyms.

Chris Connelly, England Boxing’s Head of Performance, said: “The club visits serve as a celebration of both the success of the athletes and the vital role played by the coaches, families, and clubs in fostering the next generation of boxing talent.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the bonds between England Boxing and the boxing community whilst also taking a moment to pause and acknowledge all the great work that goes into producing champions.”

Lilly Deacon with her father, John, who runs Platinum ABC (Image: MIke simmonds) Platinum ABC coaches, John Elam and Matt Cox also spoke to the T&A on Tuesday evening to express their delight in receiving this unique award.

They said: “The plaque itself, to have it on display at Platinum Boxing Club going forward makes all this hard work worthwhile; it’s a great achievement.

“It will also act as a reminder to all our students that they can go onto achieve great things like Lilly has so far her in her amateur boxing career.

“For the girls who come to Platinum too, which is a high number now, they can view Lilly’s achievement as something to look up to and admire. She’s a good role model to have.”

Lilly Deacon (holding the plaque) is acting as a good role model to a number of the younger students at Platinum ABC (Image: MIke simmonds) The pair were full of praise when asked about Deacon’s recent success, when they said: “Lilly has come on massively recently. From day one she always had the ability, but over the last six to eight months she has become a different animal.”

Reflecting on why Deacon’s stock has grown so much in recent times, the pair joked: “Focus, and a lot of shouting!

“Growing up, like all kids at a young age, they can have their issues, but she has matured and is a completely different kid now.”

Both Elam and Cox went on to hail the impact of Platinum Boxing Club regarding the recent success of several of the club’s students.

They said: “We’ve got some phenomenal kids here. I don’t think it’s too bold to say that we’re one of the most successful amateur clubs out there.

“The last couple of years have been remarkable for everyone involved with the club. We’ve had multiple national champions; we’ve collected two European Golds, a European Bronze and a World Gold, so it’s been an extremely successful time for the club.”

The coaches at Platinum have played a major role in a lot of the club's recent success (Image: MIke simmonds) Discussing what sets Platinum apart from other amateur boxing gyms, Cox said: “One of the things is that we essentially cater for ages 5-17, which is our core groups of focus.

“A lot of other gyms don’t tend to take the younger students in, but we feel it’s important to bring them in early to make sure they get used to this environment.

“Some stay, some go, but the sessions certainly act as a great fitness and health benefit.”

Elam added: “I think the success we’ve had with producing top level amateur fighters also contributes to the appeal of Platinum.

“You arrive here and immediately see people like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua on the walls of the gym (posters), but we’ve also got our own world amateur champion on the wall in Lily Deacon now.

“Not many gyms have that kind of representation on such a big stage.

“To add to that, it’s one of the nicest communities that I’ve been involved in. Everybody gets on with each other and everyone gets the same opportunities.”

Looking ahead to the future for Platinum Boxing Club, Elam said: “I’d absolutely love to see more of our students on that wall next to Lilly!”

Lilly's achievements could inspire the next generation of world champions in Bradford (Image: MIke simmonds)