LONDON 2012 prospect Iain Weaver is set to follow in the footsteps of English star Carl Froch when he dons the gloves on Friday.

Ferndown-based featherweight Weaver will take on Manchester’s Blain Younis for the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) senior title in Sheffield.

Weaver, the 19-year-old Olympic hopeful, qualified for the showpiece event at the English Institute of Sport in emphatic fashion last week.

In the quarter-finals, with former world champion Barry McGuigan among the star-studded crowd at ringside, Weaver stopped James Mason (Welwyn Garden City) inside two rounds.

This display earned him a semi-final spot against Lewis Pettitt of the Nemesis club, whom Weaver defeated 13-6 on points.

Weaver, a member of Britain’s Olympic development squad, built a big reputation on the back of his gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in India in October.

The Golden Ring fighter has previously performed strongly at amateur international level, while he also claimed the ‘best prospect of the tournament’ accolade at the Multi-Nations Championship in Croatia in March.

Should he win on Friday night, Weaver would be rightly considered the best amateur featherweight in England.

Previous winners of the prestigious ABA senior titles include unbeaten world super middleweight champion Froch and Olympic stars Audley Harrison and James DeGale.