A 15-year-old schoolboy is stepping up to the world stage to represent Great Britain in the home of Muay Thai boxing.
West Derby High School pupil Nathaniel Wilson is among one of 15 young boxers chosen to compete in the World Muay Thai Federation (WMF) World Finals in Bangkok in March. The combat sport, sometimes called Thai boxing, is known as the "art of eight limbs", which sees fighters use a combination of fists, elbows, knees and shins to overpower their opponent.
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Nathaniel's mum Jenny, 46, said: "Nathaniel has always enjoyed martial arts and as he was going into senior school he thought it was time to try something new. He started in June 2019 and took to it like a duck to water. By the following February - he'd only been there eight months - he took on his first fight and won.
"After lockdown he trained really hard, and he loves it. He loves the discipline, he loves the place - they're more of a family than a gym."
Nathaniel trains five times a week at Alliance Mauy Thai in Old Swan with the aim of making it to Thailand for the championships this year.
In 2021 he won two bouts at the Sandee Open Championships in Oldham in 2021. He also won the Northern Area Title for his weight class at a competition at MASDA Liverpool, and the English title at the S3 Fight League in Birmingham.
Jenny said: "He tried kickboxing when he was much younger, and he liked the energy in that. When he tried Muay Thai, his love bloomed straight away."
Nathaniel and his family now hope to raise £1,500 to jet off to Bangkok for the duration of the World Finals, where he will compete in memory of his uncle, Kevin Shelbourne, who tragically killed himself on December 24.
Jenny said: "He was Nathaniel's number one fan. Kevin said straight from the off that he would help Nathaniel, and now Nathaniel wants to fight in his name.
"It would mean absolutely everything to him. It's his dream, it's what he wants to go. Bangkok is the home of Muay Thai, and to fight on such a big stage would mean the world to him."
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