The European Boxing Confederation's youngest athletes competed for the medals at the European Schoolboys Championships in Yambol, Bulgaria from July 20 until July 24.

Thirteen and fourteen year-old boxers born in 1996 and 1997 were eligible to compete at the annual championships in eighteen weight classes: 38.5, 40, 41.5, 43, 44.5, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 72, 76 and over 76kg.

A record number of 182 boxers competed at the championships from twenty nations: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, England, Georgia, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and host Bulgaria.

Joining host Bulgaria only Russia, Ukraine and Turkey competed with full 18-member teams at the championships in Yambol, which was also the venue of this year's Strandja Men's Elite Tournament in February.

Russia won most of the final victories, as Europe's top boxing nation claimed half of the eighteen available gold medals. Ivan Kozlovskiy, Zelimkhan Khamkhoyev, Murat Pliyev and Georgiy Popov are huge talents for the Russian Boxing Federation.

Host nation Bulgaria acquired two gold medals with a hint that Bulgarian boxing may be on track to become as powerful as it was in the 90s. Newcomers Mastan Marinov and Gospodin Minchev were able to celebrate their gold medals in the home ring.

Azerbaijan won the lowest and the highest weight classes in Yambol, super heavyweight Muhamedali Tairov collected a bronze at the 2009 European Schoolboys Championships but has now bettered this performance with the gold in Yambol. His teammate Araz Gulmammadov defeated Denis Chmykhin of Russia by 2:0 in the final of the 38.5kg weight category.

Tomer Yadgarov of Israel won his nation's second gold medal in the history of the European Schoolboys Championships after Dan Aharonov's final victory in 2007. The 14-year-old Israeli boxer won over favourite Abubakar-Sidik Magomedov of Russia by 1:0 in the final.

Rising star Resul Kucuk of Turkey showed his impressive skills at 65kg, while his compatriot Adem Avci claimed the second gold for Turkey on the final day.

Patrick McCann of England was bronze medalist at the championships last year, but he won the final against Volkan Karsli of Turkey. Ukraine also collected a gold medal in Yambol, with Yevheniy Ternovskiy winning the 59kg weight class.

Super heavyweight Aldin Kulic, 14, continued Bosnia and Herzegovina's series at this level among schoolboy athletes to claim a bronze in Yambol.

Slovakia took its first schoolboy medal in the Bulgarian town when Lukas Forro claimed the bronze during his international debut after his unsuccessful semifinal bout against Patrick McCann of England.

Some of these talented schoolboy boxers may well be the future hopefuls for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.