ELEVEN-year-old Chris Garrity has become the youngest kickboxer from East Lancashire to win the British title in his category.

The Blackburn fighter scooped the vacant World Kickboxing Association – 40kg belt for 11 to 14 year-olds, after beating Bacup youngster Harry Hart at the Poplar Working Men’s Club in Accrington.

Chris is now hoping to compete at the world championships in China next year.

The Our Lady And St John Catholic College pupil already held two English titles and the win on December 7 confirmed his reputation as one of the best young kickboxers in the country.

His dad, also called Chris, said he has only been competing in the sport for two years, after joining Ramsey’s ACE Kick Boxing Club in Blackburn.

He added: “It was just by chance that he got into it because he had wanted to try boxing, but I struggled to find a club for him.

“In the end we found Ramsey’s and he’s not looked back since. I’m just over the moon with him, he’s a very nice natured lad but he loves competing.

“He’s completely dedicated to it and it’s taken over his life.

He trains five or six times a week and he wants to be a world champion one day.

“I’ve already travelled all over the country with him and we’ve actually qualified for the world championships next year.

“That’s going to be an expensive trip but we’ll do all we can to raise the funds for it.”

Accrington’s Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Battrick was the previous youngest fighter from East Lancashire to hold Chris’s British belt, at age 12.