FERNDOWN featherweight Iain Weaver is aiming to underline his remarkable rise through the amateur boxing ranks by bagging a rare British medal at the European Championships in Moscow.

The 20-year-old Weaver has made storming progress in his first full year with the full-time podium squad in Sheffield with gold in the Commonwealth Feds and silver in the tough Prime Minstry tournament in Turkey.

And his performances convinced British amateur boxing boss Robert McCracken to pick Weaver at 57kgs over reigning European champion Luke Campbell, who has struggled since moving up from bantamweight.

Now Weaver – who was fast-tracked into the elite after a brilliant performance in winning the senior ABAs last year – has his eyes on a medal in the Russian capital when the competition gets under way tomorrow.

Weaver said: “Things couldn’t be going any better right now and I feel as fit and strong as I ever have. Getting picked to go to Moscow instead of the reigning European champion is a big confidence boost.

“I’m really starting to find my feet in the seniors now and I've really come on since linking up full-time with the podium squad. The sparring is second to none and I see no reason why I can’t get a medal – hopefully gold.”

Weaver is part of a 12-strong squad named by the British Amateur Boxing Association which includes Beijing Olympians Bradley Saunders and Khalid Yafai as well as Yafai's younger brother Gamal.

Weaver added: “The European Championships are always one of the toughest and they will be even harder being in Moscow. But I want to do well and go on to the next year’s worlds then my dream of a place in London 2012.”