Keighley teenager Muhammad Ali lost by the narrowest of margins in his first fight at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The British and English champion finished level on points with Russian opponent Suleiman Bammatov in the 48kg contest but lost 43-39 on a countback.

From the start, this looked to be a hard bout for Ali as the southpaw Russian came out strongly. But the 16-year-old stuck to the game plan and held his ground in some good exchanges.

The Ermysted’s Grammar School pupil went into the last round two points down but chased and hit the Russian relentlessly all round the ring for the duration, only to just miss out in the countback.