Wisbech boxer Joe Steed steps into the ring for the first time as a professional on Friday night and is backed to become a big hit.

The 20-year light-middleweight has been training with Graham Everett in Norwich, rubbing shoulders with a clutch of British title-winning fighters, including twins Liam and Ryan Walsh and heavyweight Sam Sexton.

A big Wisbech Town football fan, Steed is expected to take a good crowd of Fenmen over the border when he faces Bolton opponent Chris Jenkinson on a dinner show in Norwich.

Steed worked with Simon Lee in Wisbech and later joined the March ABC before working more and more with Everett’s Norwich gym – enough to convince the trainer to get pro papers signed.

“I had about 25 amateur fights,” he said. “I would like to have had more, but I have always wanted to turn pro.

“My main goal is to get a few learning fights, get in with some good names.

“It’s a brilliant gym in Norwich, a great atmosphere and I get world class sparring and of course I work with Graham and Jono (Thaxton) and it doesn’t get much better than that.

“Now I just can’t wait to get into the ring and, hopefully, go on to win some titles.

And Everett, one of the country’s most respected trainers, is expecting big things from the former Peele School, Long Sutton, pupil – starting with his first outing.

“We’ve been working constantly with Joe for about a year and a half now,” said Everett. “He is a great character – he’s here five or six days a week, travelling from Wisbech, which is testament to his dedication.

“He is a good lad to work with, and he has a lot of potential. I like him – the fact that he comes here every day, he deserves every bit of attention he gets.

“It is a pat on the back for me and (fellow trainer) Jon Thaxton and it also shows a lot of respect and a lot of determination from him to come all the way up here and train with us.

“There is definitely something about Joe. He has got a good skill set - if he gets hurt he wants hurt you back, very quickly. He has a lot of what is see in very good kids – he is young, he is a project for us. He is not going to have a load of easy fight, he is going to have building fights – not that there is such a thing as an easy fight. But we can build on things with Joe – I like him... I like him a lot.”