By Ed Chatterton and Wiktoria Wrzyszcz via SWNS
Meet Britain’s best junior boxer – an eight-year-old boy who already holds THIRTEEN world records after training with Tyson Fury and Ricky Hatton.
Caden ‘Tornado’ James took up the sport when he was only four and is already punching above his weight and fighting opponents older than him.
The Year 4 pupil has since won 56 titles and is undefeated in 18 competitive bouts – winning every single one of them, including 10 stoppages.
He currently holds three UK titles and has now been selected to represent England at an international boxing tournament in Ukraine in May this year.
Caden trains five times a week at the gym owned by his dad Stuart, 49, in North Wingfield, Derbys., and has sparred with heavyweights Fury and Hatton.
The promising youngster has also gained the support of other famous fans on social media including David Haye and Dillian Whyte.
And he’s become so tough to beat that Stuart is now struggling to find opponents willing to take him on.
Construction site manager Stuart said: “I’m very proud of him. Funnily enough, I never really wanted him to go into boxing. I wanted him to be a footballer.
“I was an amateur boxer myself and I know how much hard work it is and how much pressure you can be under.
“But it was his mom who encouraged him and got him some pads and he just absolutely loved it.
“Now we struggle to find anyone willing to fight him. They would see him on Instagram, so we’ve come off social media a bit to try and get him some more opponents.
“He is having to fight 10-year-old boys who are four or five kilos heavier than him. He is wiping the floor with everyone. He is a machine.
“I’m a Level 2 England boxing coach and I cannot find any eight-year-old like this in the world. People may say I’m biased, but it is the honest truth.
“He is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, junior boxer in Britain. He is like a robot.
“He has trained at Ricky Hatton’s gym and also did some pad work in a session with Tyson Fury.
“We know a traveler chap who is close to John Fury and it all came about through that. It’s all been amazing experience for him and helped get him to where he is today.”
Caden is currently North East Junior Boxing Champion, East Midlands Junior Boxing Champion and North West Junior Boxing Champion.
The pint-sized puncher, who is just under 4ft and weighs 23kg, will next compete for the South Yorkshire Junior Championship in two weeks time.
Caden also regularly works with Robin Reid, a former professional boxer who won bronze at the Olympics as an amateur in 1992.
Stuart said: “Robin Reid saw Caden on Instagram and invited him for a training session with him.
“Now they train together every month. Robin is the one who gave him his nickname ‘Torando’ because he is very fast and he turns around quickly.”
Caden has been picked to represent England at the 8th International Eduard and Oleksandr Pogodin Cup in Ukraine.
Stuart added: “He was picked to go to Ukraine and fight in one of their master biggest tournaments.
“It’s a massive, massive opportunity. No eight-year-old boy from our country has ever had an opportunity like this before.
“That has come about because the Ukrainian national team coach Oleksandr Pohodin, who was in the 1992 Olympics, is his coach.
“He doesn’t have a particular style. He can fight all styles, whether that be the aggressive front foot attacking like Hatton or a more counter-attacking Ukrainian style he has learned through Pohodin.
“It’s important to say he will raise money for a very important cause – as funds from the tournament will help soldiers of Ukraine who are fighting for their country.”
And it’s not just boxing Caden excels at – he also loves football, rugby, sprinting and is a school councillor at Charlie Park School in Clay Cross, Derbys.
He was even offered a 12-week course at Manchester City training academy last autumn but had to turn it down, as it would affect his boxing training.
Stuart, who lives with wife Kayleigh, 37, who runs a printing business, added: “He just loves anything sporty.
“He’s a good footballer too and we had to turn down a trial with Manchester City as it would get in the way of his boxing.
“We already travel to Manchester every weekend for boxing training, so it would have meant him going to Manchester four times a week.
“He can run the 100 metres in 13 seconds, which is incredible for an eight-year-old.
“He is one in a million, he is a very gifted little boy in every single way.
“He has never wanted a PlayStation or X-Box, he is just so active all of the time.
“He trains three days a week at my gym for one hour and then two days in Manchester for one-and-a-half hours.
“”He is very confident and clever, top of his class for Math and English, excels at PE.
“He is a little star and he is thriving.”
Caden said: “I really love boxing, my favorite part about it is the fights but I really enjoy the training too.
“I hope when I grow up I can be a professional boxer. I’m going to work really hard and do my best.
“Whenever I go into the ring I think I can win.
“I’ve done some training with Tyson Fury and with Ricky Hatton lots of times. David Haye and Frank Warren follow me on social media too.
“My favorite boxers are Lomachenko and Triple G (Gennady Golovkin) – so I hope I can grow up to be like them.”
Caden, who is currently looking for sponsorship, will be raising money for Action Aid when he fights in Ukraine.
Some of Caden’s records:
The Most Speed Uppercuts in 45 Seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 202The Most Medicine Ball Slams in 1 Minute in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 40The Most Push Ups in 45 Seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 40The Most 7-Punch Boxing Combinations in 1 Minute in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 25The Most Sit Up with Two Punches Combinations in 1 Minute in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 42The Most 5kg Medicine Ball squats in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 34The Punches on a Floor-to-Ceiling Speedball in 30 seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 106The Most 5kg Medicine Ball Sit Ups in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 23The Most jabs in 60 seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 119The Most rear uppercuts in 60 seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 102-The Most burpees in 60 seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 46The Most Speed Uppercuts in 60 Seconds in the Boys’ 4-6 year old Category: 240
