Frank Varey: Teenage boxing champion dies after river swim

Frank Varey had won several national championships

A 16-year-old boxer who was described as a future world champion has died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river.

Frank Varey's body was found on Thursday night after a five-hour search operation in the River Dee in Chester.

His family described him as "a legend in the boxing world and in life" and said they were "devastated beyond words".

The teenager, who trained in Blackpool, had won several national titles.

Writing on Instagram, world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said: "RIP Frank. Was a future world champ. May God be with your family."

Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell MBE also paid tribute to the young star on Twitter.

"RIP Frank Varey. Rest well champ, thoughts with all your friends and family," he posted.

Frank Varey's family described him as "a legend in the boxing world and in life"

England Boxing CEO Gethin Jenkins said the organisation was "devastated" by his death.

He described Frank as "a very talented boxer, multiple National Champion and a member of our England set-up".

"Although young, he had clearly demonstrated much promise," he said.

England Talent coach John Stubbs also paid tribute to the 16-year-old: "Frank was a larger-than-life character.

"No boy should lose their life at 16. This is a sad day for the boxing community and my thoughts are with big Frank and the family."

People gathered to pay their respects at the river on Friday afternoon

The teenager's parents, brothers and sister said in a statement: "May our young king live on forever."

Frank joined Sharpstyle Boxing in Blackpool when he was aged 10.

Head boxing coach Andy Abrol said there was "nothing not to like about Frank".

"He tortured everybody, but in a good way, not in a bad way," he said.

"There was no nastiness. He had a heart of gold. Very dedicated to what he did.

"He had a goal and he knew what he wanted."

The teenager had a "heart of gold," his boxing coach said

Frank was reported missing at about 14:30 BST, before Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they had found a body at 20:00.

The emergency services had been searching the river near Lower Park Road, with the river bank and Queen's Park suspension bridge closed as part of the search.

A friend, who was with him at the time, told the BBC the teenager had been swimming to the other side of the river when he got into difficulty.

The body of another 16-year-old boy was recovered from the River Weaver near Frodsham on Tuesday after he was believed to have fallen in the water.

A 15-year-old boy's body was also recovered from a river near Derbyshire on Wednesday and two people have died after being pulled from the water in separate incidents in North Yorkshire.

It comes as emergency services warned of the invisible, deadly dangers associated with open water after six people drowned in English lakes and rivers over the weekend.

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