Pro boxer's success inspired by dad's work ethic

A young professional boxer has said his determination to succeed has been inspired by his father's work ethic.

"He used to go out the door at four, and didn't come home until nine at night," said Armie Litherland, who still works part-time at his dad Adrian's meal preparation shop.

The 20-year-old featherweight, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, began boxing at the age of nine, debuted as a professional earlier this year and is undefeated in his first two fights.

It is a long way from his first amateur fight, at the age of 10 in Birmingham.

"I was dead nervous, I think I was 28kg, I was tiny," he said.

Despite a raucous atmosphere and hostile fans, he won and said the experience lit a fire in him.

"The first win felt amazing... then I won again and again," Litherland said.

Inspired to try the sport after watching the Rocky films, he said there had been tough times along the way, when his parents had encouraged him to keep going, particularly his dad.

"At night he used to make me get my shoes on, take me to a park and run up and down to trees."

Litherland turned pro at the age of 19, and while very much at the beginning of his professional journey, promoter Black Flash Promotions said his potential was "there for everyone to see".

He believes he is the youngest professional boxer from Stoke-on-Trent, but he has also taken inspiration from one of the city's most established fighters.

As a young teenager Litherland said he would train alongside former British middleweight champion Nathan Heaney, who has just retired from the sport, as well as Luke Caci.

"They were hard workers... 24/7 in the gym they were grafting, so I thought I've got to take something away from that," he said.

"They all worked hard in that gym."

Whether it was watching Heaney or his own father, hard graft is a valuable skill Litherland has learned along the way.

A world away from the tens of millions of pounds Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua expect to make if their fight goes ahead in December, small hall fighters have to cover a lot of their own costs and even sell tickets.

"I probably walked away with no money," Litherland said of his most recent fight against experienced Honduran Jayro Fernando Duran in July.

"But I don't care about the money at the moment, I just want to get my name out there."

What made it even tougher was losing his grandmother in the run up to the fight.

"On Tuesday we were burying my nan, and on Saturday I was fighting," he said.

"I was very close to my nan. She went to all my [amateur] fights. Ones she didn't go to, she would phone me straight afterwards."

He said during the fight he kept his emotions in check, but it all poured out after the win when he went over to his fans.

The music for his ring walk even turned into a tribute to his grandmother, even if it was an accidental one.

Having already chosen Freed from Desire by Gala Rizzatto, a friend found video of her singing along to the tune at his sister's wedding.

"I've got to stick with it now, haven't I," he said.

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