AFTER having ‘a chip on his shoulder’ as a teenager, a Basingstoke boxer has used the sport to transform his life and is now set to go pro.

Jacob Gabriel first stepped into a boxing ring at the age of 10, but never really showed a real interest in the sport. Now he is set for his first pro bout next month.

In his teen years, the now 25-year-old would attend one training session a year and not really give it a second thought.

When he was 14, the Oakridge fighter had a few issues with the law, spending some time in police cells, telling The Gazette: “I had a chip on my shoulder, and I was getting into all sorts of trouble in my teenage years.”

But it was under the guidance of trainers Trevor Francis and Jeff Mitchell at the Basingstoke Boxing Club, in Essex Road, Jacob became more focused and discovered he had a natural ability for the sport.

Jacob had his first amateur fight in September 2010, only four months after entering training, and won by stoppage, and he was hooked from there.

He said: “I never really thought about competing, I was just in training and my coaches mentioned about having a fight.

“Once I had won I got such a buzz out of it I knew I wanted to carry on and being in the ring kept me out of trouble.”

Now, after 94 amateur fights, including a win over Harlem Eubank, nephew of Chris Snr; winning the Haringey boxcup three times; and being ranked in the top 10 in his weight division in England since 2014, the super-lightweight has taken the decision to go pro.

He added: “I have worked really hard and it just felt like a natural progression to make the step up.”

Speaking of the difference in his training regime, Jacob said: “The training is a lot more intense, but one thing is you have more time to prepare for a fight.

“I knew eight weeks in advance of my first pro fight, compared to as an amateur you might just know the week before.”

Jacob’s first fight will be on St Patrick’s Day at the Bracknell Sports Centre, Bracknell, and he is calling on his Basingstoke fans to come and show their support.

Tickets range from £35 to £50 with doors opening at 3pm.

For more details about the fight card or to buy tickets to attend the event, contact Jacob at facebook.com/jacob.gabriel.167.