Darlington Amateur Boxing Club’s Ambrose Burnside is thirteen. He is boxing for England at 38kg and number two in the country, outranked only by Joe Tokely of West Ham.

He said: “When I put my boxing gloves on I get an adrenaline rush, it’s exciting. I started boxing at 10 and train five nights a week and sometimes at the weekend when I have a fight coming up. I go running nearly every day. I am really happy to be picked for England. My parents and coach found out and then one of the coaches phoned me at school to tell me about it. I go to Hurworth School. Training is on a night and the boxing and school work round each other. I get my running done in the morning and it’s not hard work, I love it.

“I have always wanted to be a boxer, since I was little. My dad likes boxing, likes watching the matches; I’ve got it from him. My hero is Ricky Hatton and I have family who have been professional. I think I am born to box. If you want to do boxing and you think it’s just alright, it’s not going to work, you have to really like it to keep it up. You get people who are boxing just to be popular or doing it for their dads, but they are not enjoying it and they don’t do so well. You’ve got to really want to do it, from inside.

“I have boxed a few champions to get selected for England, Jack Coglan twice, and I have fought hard in the Schoolboy competitions. I get lots of support from my family and trainers. I lead with my left hand even though I am right handed, an orthodox boxer. I cut down on snacks and chocolate and eat salads and small amounts before a fight. At breakfast I have a bowl of cereal and that will be it until dinner time and then I have a drink of water and sometimes a sandwich or fruit and salad. For tea I normally get quite a big meal like chicken salad and potato’s. Some nights I finish at the gym at eight and sometimes seven, then I go to bed about half past ten. The odd weekend I go swimming.

“This is a fairly cheap gym, it’s two pound including the insurance. I come in and put the bandages on to protect my knuckles, then get stretched off so that I’m all loose, then do some shadow boxing until I am warmed up. Shadow boxing is on my own. Then I spar with someone at my level. The gym have boxing gloves but I think it’s better to get your own and then you can get them when you want, then there’s no trouble finding them. When there is a proper bout coming up, you are not allowed to use your own gloves, you have to use the proper gloves provided so that there is no cheating. You can’t cheat at all in boxing because there’s the referee in the ring and all of the officials, you have to be seen by the doctor, get weighed and pass the medical.

“I think I have found what I am good at. I am very close to my trainers especially Lee Bannister and Andy Marksby.” Ambrose Burnside is a name to watch in boxing.