A 16-year-old Richmond boxer has returned home from the 2024 U19 World Boxing Championship in Colorado.
Julian Angelakis, who’s been boxing since the age of five, placed fifth in the 55-kilogram weight category. This was Angelakis’ first participation in a World Boxing Championship and he was the youngest in his bracket.
Angelakis’ first match-up was against 17-year-old Filipino boxer Jerome Lopez on Oct. 27. Lopez, one of the championship’s favourites, was defeated by Angelakis by points after three rounds.
Two days later, Angelakis was matched up against 18-year-old Michael O’Sullivan from Wales. Angelakis fought hard, but was defeated by points.
Although he hoped to bring back a medal, he said the championship was a great experience and there’s always room to improve.
Angelakis has a disciplined training schedule six days a week with coach Tariq Abdulrahman, who was given the nickname of “The Jedi” by the team. He also wakes up at five in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays for strength and conditioning training before school.
Leading up to the championship, training days remained the same but the intensity skyrocketed.
“I started going to an altitude pod,” said Angelakis. “It’s a pod that you sit in because the altitude in Colorado is higher, so it’s harder to breathe.”
He added nerves were one of the biggest challenges he faced going into the tournament, but his coach and father helped him through it.
Abdulrahman, who’s been working with Angelakis for just under a year, said their current focus is on technical training.
“At the high-performance level, there’s a winning style that will give you success at the international level,” explained Abdulrahman.
“We decided to narrow the focus of Julian's technical training to ensure that he was down in this winning style profile, which he's adopted really well.”
With the experience of working with the national team and athletes, Abdulrahman highlighted Angelakis’ performance and debut at the world championship for his age.
“To be able to come out in the top five at 16, to be able to handle his emotions, his preparation,” he said. “The way that he approached his training beforehand, for the weeks in advance, was really testament to his advanced maturity.”
Angelakis is one of the most naturally talented boxers he has worked with, Abdulrahman said, but he’s also one of the most committed. At his age, there could be many distractions for young athletes, however, there’s never been a struggle to motivate or inspire Angelakis, said his coach.
“He's got a really supportive dad who manages his time, his scheduling, his finances and his diet,” he explained. “The three of us kind of make a little bit of a team; we're still at an infancy of Julian's career, but I think he's going to have a phenomenal career.”
In the future, Angelakis’ main goal is to go pro and represent Canada at the 2028 Olympics.
The U19 World Boxing Championship was held in Pueblo, Colo., between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, hosting more than 180 boxers from 30 countries. Most of the competitors ranged from 17 to 18 years of age.
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