YOUNG LEE IS ON STRICT DIET

The 13-year-old says "cutting out the rubbish" helped him land a shot at the Four Nations championship, on the back of a triumph at the Western District championship.

He says he's been avoiding junk food and eating healthily, "plus working hard all the time.

"I'm careful with what I eat because I can't have the same as my friends at school," explained the 13-year-old. "I need to maintain my weight and always pay attention.

"That's what I've got to always think about, my boxing."

That focus and desire not to get joked – in the ring or in the chip shop - has been enough to earn him a brace of Western District titles and he's now aiming for a Scottish title and a return to south Wales.

Last year's successes in the ring earned the Kilsyth Golden Gloves Boxing Club member a trip to the Four Nations championship where he earned a bronze medal, now he's aiming to continue dodging the chocolate to go a step better, after a knockout showing by the Bonnybridge boxer at the Scottish championships.

"If I win there I can get back down to Wales again," Lee explained. "I'm confident I can win when I get back down there.

"I was confident going into the Western district championships, and I won, and I'm confident again going into the Scottish, so I'm confident I can do it again.

"You've got to be confident going into competitions. You can't be anything else."

Lee puts the hours in, spending three or four nights a week in the gym, plus running and jogging in between. It all helps maintain his weight at 57kg.

"I don't know what I'll be when I'm a senior… maybe a flyweight. I look up to Manny Pacquaio and try to take tips off watching him.

"Staying at this weight for the Western district championships paid off because there was only one other fighter in my category so it was a straight final for the title.

"It was worth the extra effort because I'd have had more fights if I'd have been in a different weight group."

When he's not training at Kilsyth's Golden Gloves club he's at Denny High school, but wants to make a real fist of boxing as a career. He's planning on heading for Peter Harrison's gym in Glasgow for Sunday training too. It's already produced a champion in Peter's son Scott, and Lee wants to hold aloft a belt, just as he's done in the past.

But he'll still carry on representing Golden Gloves in the meantime.

"The guys at Kilsyth have been great for Lee," said dad Charles. "They have given him extra training and taken their own time to put in the effort with him so they deserve to take a lot of credit.

"When the hall lease was up recently they moved upstairs in the Burngreen community centre and put a lot into rebuilding the club and they're doing amazing work."

Lee is in action in the Scottish Amateur Boxing Championships at the Time Capsule, Coatbridge on April 3 and 4.

KILSYTH Golden Gloves Boxing Club is also hosting its annual show on April 16.

Taking place at Kilsyth Academy from 7pm onwards, this important fixture of the local sporting calendar has 13 fights planned and will showcase several British and Scottish champions.

Six boys from Kilsyth will be upholding the honour of their home town, come along and cheer them on. Tickets are 15 and can be purchased from the boxing hall during training sessions (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 6pm-9pm).

Alternatively phone coaches Francie Connor on 07957 951563 or John McCluskey on 07084 552670.