Billy Long Jr: The Autistic Teen Who Turned a Garden Shed Into a Gold Medal Factory

In Chelmsford, England, there’s a story so wild and heartfelt it feels like it was written for cinema — and now it literally is.

When Billy Long Jr was a little boy, he struggled with everything school asked of him. He was autistic, hyperactive, overwhelmed by crowds and noise. Other kids teased him, and adult systems labeled him. His father, Billy Long Sr, saw where that road led — gangs, trouble, disappearing potential.

So he made a decision that changed everything:
He pulled his son from mainstream school and turned a tiny garden shed into a boxing gym.

This was no professional setup. The shed barely had enough room for one punching bag. When Billy Jr shadowboxed, his elbows scraped the walls. Winter training meant freezing breath and numb fingers. Summer training meant thick, suffocating heat in a box the size of a walk-in closet.

But the shed gave Billy something school never did: structure, focus, confidence, and a way to translate his mind’s intensity into discipline.

And he got good.
Scary good.

He won national youth championships.
He dominated regional tournaments.
And then he stunned British boxing by winning gold at the European Junior Championships, breezing through every round like a veteran twice his age.

For autistic kids, Billy became an instant hero. Not because he won.
But because he proved that his differences weren’t hindrances — they were advantages.

The garden shed grew into Longs ABC, a full boxing club that now keeps dozens of local kids off the streets and gives them mentorship, discipline, and purpose. Billy Jr’s story is so powerful that filmmakers are turning it into a feature film titled Long Shot.

It all started in a backyard, between a father who refused to give up on his son — and a son who refused to let autism define his ceiling.