Thursday 19 May 2022 04:46 PM Boxer who couldn't swim drowned after jumping in a river to cool off trends now
A teenage boxer tipped by Tyson Fury to be a 'future world champ' drowned after his friends begged him not to jump in a river as he couldn't swim, an inquest heard.
Talented Frank Varey, 16, died after he tried to swim across the River Dee in Chester after heading to the water with his friends during a heatwave last summer.
His body was recovered after a frantic search after he was reported missing in the water on July 22 last year.
Heartbreaking footage posted to social media hours before tragedy struck shows the shirtless teenager enjoying the weather with his friends by the river.
The body of 16-year-old Frank Varey was pulled from the River Dee in Cheshire after jumping in with friends
Heartbreaking footage shows Frank Varey enjoying himself with friends in Cheshire just hours before his death. The 16-year-old, originally from Blackpool, died while swimming in the River Dee in Handbridge, just south of Cheshire in July 2021
More than 1,000 tearful mourners paid their respects to teenage boxing star Frank Varey, 16, during his funeral in Heysham, Lancashire
Behind the camera, Frank can be heard saying 'go on boys!' as his friends take turns jumping into the water.
Tragically, he got into trouble the water at around 2pm and despite a frantic search by police divers, his body was pulled from the water six hours later.
The tragic teen had been pegged as a 'future champion' by world heavyweight champ Fury in a tribute.
An inquest into his death, held at Warrington Coroner's Court on Wednesday, heard Frank and his pals were seen jumping in and out of the river to cool off.
A group of them then decided to swim across the river and Frank - who could not swim - decided to join them.
The inquest heard he managed to get most of the way across the river before visibly getting into difficulty.
Witnesses reported seeing him struggling, shouting for help and putting his arms in the air, as friends and bystanders tried to save him.
One of them had tried to grab Frank Varey, but the current 'was too strong', the inquest heard.
Emergency services
