EUROPEAN champion boxer Paris Smith is back in the ring in 2020 for the first time tomorrow as she represents England in the Nations Cup final.

The England squad flew out to Sombor in north Serbia earlier this week and have since taken part in the tournament’s opening ceremony.

Smith is one of only four schools boxers to have been picked by the international coaches for the England squad, with 14 fighters making the trip to Serbia across the junior and youth age categories.

She is as also one of only four fighters from Yorkshire on the squad.

Given that there are no other boxers in her weight division, Smith, who represents the Legions Gym based in Clifton Moor, is boxing a division above.

She will box in the 70kg final of the schoolgirls tournament on Sunday, where she will face the winner of the bout between Bosnian representative Anastasjia Boskovic and Croatia’s Nika Lopac.

Before that, the 13-year-old will spar with other fighters from Germany, China and India.

A video link to Smith’s fight can be found on the England Boxing website (englandboxing.org).

The contest will be Smith’s first bout of the year following on from a highly successful 2019.

She made history in August when she became the first boxer from York to go to the European Championships; in the schoolgirls section of the tournament.

And, Smith came back victorious from the event in Georgia, scoring two comprehensive victories - the first by first-round stoppage and the second by a unanimous points decision - to win the gold medal.

l Paris Smith and the Legions Gym are sponsored by SAY Scaffolding.