Jimmy Kelly aiming to join Manchester’s world champions

Kelly is trained by former British and Inter-Continental middleweight champion Ensley Bingham at Moss Side boxing club, also known as Champs Camp, and is unbeaten in his 14 fights so far with seven knockouts.

He has been around boxing since the age of four and is a four-time national junior champion, so why does he think Manchester is thriving when it comes to boxing?

“There are a lot of tough housing estates around that build that inner toughness into kids,” he stated.

“I’m from Wythenshawe which is a tough estate and I think you’re just bred differently from estates like that.

“We’ve had something to channel our energy into like boxing and we’ve just put that mental toughness and grittiness into a sport, and we’ve just succeeded.

“Success breeds success, it started off with one boxer being a world champion and it’s just gone on and on.

“I look at Tyson Fury, who I’ve known since I was a kid, and keep saying ‘I used to train with him when I was young before he even had an amateur fight,’ so if he can do it, I can do it.”