"When I was a kid I was in no end of trouble, constantly getting into fights through primary and secondary school. I was excluded loads of times and in the end my parents were struggling so much with my behaviour that I was threatened with being sent away to private school"
"My parents began to encourage me into channeling my energy into martial arts, I tried judo, karate and kickboxing and didn't get on with any of them. One day I tagged along with a couple of mates to Warrior Gym and I watched one of them sparring, it made me want to give it a go, so I went back and began to do some stuff in the ring"
"I was there for 2 or 3 weeks when one of the coaches, a guy called Dean Lewis, began to pay attention to what I was doing and started telling me what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. I bonded with him pretty easily, for the first time I felt I had met someone that really got me, got who I was and what I needed in life to stay out of trouble"
"After a few months I had my first fight at Hutton Moor, I didn't win, in fact the ref called it off after 2 rounds. I didn't want to give up though. The adrenaline rush I got when I was in the ring was like something I had never felt before and I wanted more.
In 2018 I got to the semi's in the nationals competition and I was flying high, I then went on to win the finals and became the first champion to come out of the South West."
"When i'm boxing I feel like i'm in a cardboard box, I don't even feel as though the crowd is there. It's like i'm in another world where the only people that exist is me and the lad i'm fighting. I see boxing as a work of art and that when i'm in the ring I can be as creative as I want to be."
"If I hadn't found boxing or better yet, if boxing hadn't found me I would absolutely have been in prison by now. Boxing has taken my soul. It's what I live, eat and breath. It's more that just a sport to me, it's a way of life that dictates every decision I make. Obviously Dean and my sponsors have helped me get to where I am today"
"I've now got 1 national title, national gold medal , 2 national silver medals and 6 regional titles, 4 by K.O. The feeling when I win a competition is amazing. It gives me a sense of self-worth and achievement, that I'm actually worth something. You wouldn't believe the amount of people I meet that doubt me, that ask what my backup plan is, that basically try to say 'what you doing that for', but their doubt just gives me more of a push"
"My next step is to build on my experience and fighting in more national and then international competitions before turning pro. I also want to give back by taking troubled souls and give them the chance of boxing, because I know the impact it can have on kids like me"
"I give my all to it because I want to be the best, I want my name to be said alongside the greats in boxing history, but more importantly i'm doing it because I want to see the look in my mum's eyes when she comes to support me. My mum never gave up on me and the feeling of knowing i'm making her proud is worth everything"
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