St Pancras ABC fighter Luke Williams

WHEN it comes to developing your ringcraft as a young boxer, handling the disappoint­ments that land your way is all part of the game.

St Pancras ABC’s emerging talent Luke Williams is showing fortitude beyond his years as he does just that.

On Saturday the highly-rated 16-year-old was unanimously beaten by Harrow ABC’s Daniel Corcoran in the final of the London Youth and Intermediate Championships, which were held at Springwest Academy in Feltham.

It’s the fourth time in a major final that Williams, who was boxing at 63.5kg, has had to watch his opponent’s arm raised in victory. His coach, CJ Hussein, isn’t worried, however, and is tipping the teenager to bounce back to become “one of the best” in the business.

“Of course we’re disappointed, but Luke boxed really well and should be proud of his performance,” insisted CJ. “He was going up against a guy who has had 23 bouts – going into Saturday’s fight Luke hadn’t even hit double figures.

“He’s now had 10 bouts, and in that run he’s made four major finals. When you look at the opponents that he’s faced they’ve all been miles more experienced than Luke.

“Right now Luke is going into those finals a little bit nervous, lacking a little bit of confidence. But that’s a hurdle that he’s got to get over, and as he gains experience in the ring I’m in no doubt that he will.

“Luke has all the attributes to be a success: he trains hard, has great skill and fitness levels and is developing all the time. Give him a year to gain more experience and there’s no doubt that he’ll be one of the best boxers to come out of our gym.”