Leeds teenager Bateson looking to announce himself on world stage

A cyclist maybe, such is his willowy physique, but on first impressions it is hard to imagine this young man happily trades punches with the best amateur boxers in the world.

Yet that is the reality for the fresh-faced, fearless Leeds teenager, who in three years’ time could well be returning from the Olympic Games in Rio clutching a medal.

Because the 19-year-old is a member of the latest group of promising fighters coming off the production line at the Team GB boxing headquarters at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

To suggest he could go to the Olympics and win a medal might seem ambitious at this stage of his development, but four years ago how many people were suggesting that Nicola Adams and Luke Campbell would reign supreme and capture the hearts of the watching nation at London 2012?

Not many. But it is in these early years of the Olympic cycle when the hard yards on the journey to the most famous podium of all are taken.

And to say Bateson has the calibre to match the feats of champions like Adams and Campbell, is by no means a stretch.

Already this year he has won the senior ABA title and a bronze medal at the European Championships, his first major international competition.

Other big prizes have been claimed at home and on the continent, meaning the 49kg light flyweight heads to the next gatepost on the road to Rio in confident mood.

The World Amateur Boxing Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from October 11-20, are a significant competition in their own right, with the chance to be the best in the world an opportunity that comes around only once every two years.

They also represent the first chance for Bateson to make his mark on a global stage.

“Rio is the long-term goal, but until then everything is a learning curve and experience to be gained,” said Bateson, who has been boxing out of the Burmantofts gym in Leeds since he was nine.

“I will take it one fight at a time, and I will try and treat every fight as a final.

“The ABAs at the start of the year was a big target for me, being champion of your home country is a real incentive.

“Then I went straight into the European Championships and to get a bronze was a great boost.

“But the bigger picture all year has been the worlds, and trying to get as much experience from the other tournaments to then use in Kazakhstan.

“I’ve had a successful year so far and to get a medal at the worlds would be amazing.

“As long as I perform to the best of my ability, I feel I’ll be in a position to do well.”

For inspiration, Bateson need look no further than the four walls of the state-of-the-art gym in Sheffield where the pictures of the nation’s Olympic medallists hang proudly.

The images of London 2012 stars Adams and Campbell have joined those of Alan Minter, Richie Woodhall and Lennox Lewis; imposing names who have helped build a proud legacy for amateur boxing in this country, which can inspire as well as daunt those tasked with following in their footsteps.

But such are the surroundings the ABA have built in Sheffield that west Yorkshireman Bateson sees their legacy only as a good thing.

“There’s so many pictures and so many sources of inspiration that hopefully we can continue to emulate what those guys have done,” said Bateson, who trains four days a week in the Steel City.

“I was doing a bit of sparring with Nicola Adams last week. She’s still training hard and always offers good advice because she’s been there and done it and is so experienced in major tournaments.

“I do a lot of pad work with Richie Woodhall, he gives out some great pointers. Having people like that gives you an extra bit of help.

“It’s a fantastic atmosphere in Sheffield. It’s such a good group of boxers and we have former Olympians in working with us and giving us advice.

“Before I got into the British squad I didn’t know much about nutrition, psychology or the physics of it all, but with us being Great Britain, we have all that on tap and it’s a real boost.

“It gives you the whole picture, and we appreciate that not all countries have the facilities and resources at their disposal that we do.

“And you need all those factors. If I get to the final in Kazakhstan I’ll box six times in 10 days, so it’s not just a matter of getting in the ring and punching; you need nutrition, medicine, massage etc.”

Whatever he manages in eastern Europe, the young man can still be proud of the strides he has taken, and excited about where the journey might still lead him.

It was nothing more than a dream when he first set foot in Burmantofts gym a decade ago, working with his dad Mark and uncle Martin, two great influences on his life who he still spends weekends in the Leeds ring with.

“I’m really excited about the worlds, I’m not nervous at all,” added Bateson, from the British team’s training camp in Cologne, Germany.

“Training has gone really well and I can’t wait to get in there and prove what I’m capable of.”