Twin boys want to be the next big boxing names to come from Merseyside as they celebrate their recent successes.
Jake and Jamie Preston, 14, have already "made history" as the first twins from the North West to win National Schoolboy titles. Both boys have been boxing since the age of four and have gone on to develop a strong passion for the sport.
Training at the well-known Rotunda ABC club - home to the famous boxing family the Smith brothers - the pair are doing their community proud as they are said to have a "bright future". Already, Jamie has won National Schoolboy Champion 2021 and 2022.
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Jake has won National Schoolboy Champion 2022 and Great Britain Tri-nations 2022, making him a Gold medallist. He is also set to represent England on January 28 and February 17. But despite making it seem effortless, the intense training is not as easy as it seems.
As a sport of many skills, the boys find themselves training after school Monday to Friday and twice on a Saturday. They also need to stick to a strict diet, especially during championships, which would see them eating a lot of protein and drinking a lot of water.
Speaking to the ECHO, the twins said they followed in their dad Jamie's footsteps and "started liking it" and never looked back. They have now become role models for other pupils at their school of St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Whiston and their boxing club.
Headteacher Lee Peachey said: "A lot of younger people look up to them and that's here in the academy as well. The boys will certainly be on TV travelling around the world, it's a real talent to keep an eye on over the next few years.
"We as an academy, when they are in camp with intense training, we have to make more provisions and make sure they are drinking a lot more water and eating the right things to get their weight up. Mum and dad and the rest of the family are really supportive in both school and boxing.
"I meet with dad daily to look at how we support the boys and support their well-being if they are tired from the training, we make sure we are doing what we can as a school. But the parents also recognise that they are talented boxers and will go on to travel the world, but education is equally important.
"We are proud as a school, it's not often as a headteacher you see pupils of this level of calibre in boxing, representing England and getting the golden gloves and how they carry themselves around academy is an inspiration."
Jamie told the ECHO that he gets more nervous seeing his brother fight than he does in his own competing but both boys praised the sport they love, saying it has a lot of benefits, not just physically, but also mentally and their outlook on life.
Jake said: "The best part is fighting and winning, the competitive nature. The hardest is dieting, we eat clean all year round but more for championships."
Mr Peachey added: "Both Jake and Jamie are on the England pathway and look forward to representing their school and the boxing club Rotunda ABC in up and coming championships and for the England national boxing team. We’re very proud of our pupils, Jake and Jamie, as they continue to excel in the field of boxing."
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