‘A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life’ — Muhammad Ali

Think ‘professional sportsman’ and you immediately get a picture of glitz, glamour and someone having made it big.

Hopefully this project I have embarked upon will help to show the hard work, determination and dedication required to make those first steps and that selling tickets, holding a day job, physical and mental preparation all go hand in hand.

This selection of images were the first of many of my visits along the path that Les Byfield will walk, run, skip and spar towards his professional debut in March.

Hopefully this series will grow into a unique set that he can look back on as his career develops.