2024 Champion explains why the forthcoming Under 19 World Boxing Championships in Budva can be the springboard for a successful career in Olympic-style boxing.
MORE THAN 550 male and female boxers from over 75 National Federations will take part in the forthcoming U19 World Boxing Championships in Budva, Montenegro, 16-27 October 2026.
The 12-day competition at the Mediterranean Sports Venue in Budva will feature action at 10 weight classes each for men and women.
It is the second ever U19 World Boxing Championships and follows the inaugural event in Colorado Springs, USA, in October and November 2024, when 20 male and female boxers won gold medals.
The U19 championships is a key component of World Boxing’s competition calendar which is designed to deliver a competitive opportunity for 17 and 18-year-olds that gives them exposure to the best boxers in the world at their age and creates a pathway to help them manage the transition into elite, non-age group, international boxing.
One boxer who enjoyed success at the previous U19 World Boxing Championships and has gone on to navigate the move into elite, Olympic-style boxing is Daniel Pitt from Wales.
Daniel began boxing at the age of 12 and after enjoying national success as a junior and youth, was selected by Wales to compete at the inaugural U19 championships in Colorado Springs where he defeated Danial Raimbekov of Kazakhstan in the final to win cruiserweight (M85kg) gold.
In the elite ranks he has had 11 bouts at international competitions across Europe. In April 2026, he won light-heavyweight (M80kg) bronze at the Gee Bee Tournament in Helsinki. Most recently, he narrowly missed out on a medal at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
He is currently on a break from international boxing to focus full-time on his final year of studies at Cardiff Metropolitan University. However, the 20-year-old, who was also elected to World Boxing’s Athlete Committee in November 2025, credits his experience at the U19 World Championships as a key factor in assisting his transition into elite, senior boxing.
“Experience is everything in boxing and, for me, the U19s worlds was really important,” explained Daniel. “As a youth, I had boxed mainly in Europe, but the U19s featured athletes from all over the world, so suddenly it meant I was being exposed to boxers and styles that I had never faced before.
“My first bout was against India and in the final I faced a Kazakh, so competing against boxers from these top nations was a completely new experience.
“It was a huge challenge to be thrown in against opponents of that quality, so to get the victory was a massive confidence boost. It gave me the belief that I could go on to be successful.”
As a major global tournament, the build-up to the U19s World Boxing Championships and the level of interest in the event brought its own challenges.
According to Daniel: “There was much more pressure, so learning to cope with that was important. At home in Wales there was a lot publicity and then when we got to the USA, there was much more media interest than I had been used to.
“It added to the pressure, so being able to come through that and cope with those elements outside of the ring is another part of being successful at these tournaments that can prepare you for the future. I felt it helped me to grow and solidified me as a boxer.”
Events like the U19 World Boxing Championships, which will feature over 350 males and nearly 200 females, are a global showcase for Olympic-style boxing and provide a platform for the world’s best 17 and 18-year-olds to demonstrate their skills.
The level of the boxers will be extremely high, and according to Daniel, the quality of the competition means that any man or woman who wins a medal in Budva can believe that they have a good chance of building a successful career in international boxing.
He added: “At events like this, it is the best against the best, so even though you know there are still more levels to go to reach the very top, you have shown that you can compete successfully at world level. That can provide a massive confidence boost when you take the next step into elite boxing.”
There is no doubt that the U19 Championships will be a vitally important staging post in the development of many young boxers, some of whom may go on to become future stars and possible Olympic medallists.
But for all it’s significance as a competition, Daniel’s final message to the 550 plus competitors that will step through the ropes in Budva is to try and enjoy the experience.
He added: “Boxing has taken me to places that I never thought I would go, so my advice to all the boxers is to train hard and do your best, but whatever happens, try and enjoy the experience.
“It is a great achievement just to be at the competition, so give it your all and make the most of it.”
The draw for the U19 World Boxing Championships is on Thursday 15 October 2026. The action will get underway on Friday 16 October when there will be two rings and two sessions of boxing per day. There will be a rest day on Monday 26 October and the finals will be held in a single ring over two sessions on Tuesday 27 October 2026.
The competition will be streamed live on World Boxing TV.
World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
Lee Murgatroyd for World Boxing