Samuel Leon Wisniewski notched up a national title at 20 ... only two years after first taking up the sport.

Now, at the still tender age of 22, he is heading up boxfit sessions at Total Fitness in Lancaster after demand for his services rocketed among younger club members.

He said: "The adult boxfit that I teach is really popular, but it's for over 16s so a lot of the teenagers were disappointed that they couldn't join in. This new class is for them."

Samuel, from Torrisholme, is a fantastic role model for boxing. After leaving Morecambe High School at 16 he spent two difficult years trying to work out exactly what he wanted to do with his life.

A split with his family meant that, through two of the most challenging teenage years, he was making his own decisions – and not always choosing the right option.

"I trained in basic construction skills and I also did a business management course and some telesales," he said.

But it wasn't until his cousin offered to provide some boxing coaching that Samuel, by then 18, ventured into the ring at Lancaster Boys' Club.
"The boxing took over," he said. "It replaced everything that I'd been doing up until then and turned my life around.

"I realised that I hadn't been keeping fit since I left school and I was determined to get back on track, so I trained hard ... every single day for the next three years."

His dedication was such that in just two years he won the Class A Amateur Boxing Association national title in the 54kg weight category. And he hasn't looked back.

Now on his way to gaining his personal training award, Samuel has his eyes on a professional career in boxing and hopes that, in about 18 months' time, he'll achieve his ambition.

In the meantime, however, he wants to pass on the benefits of boxfit, which incorporates many of the training techniques used by boxers, to a younger audience.

The classes at Total Fitness on Caton Road, Lancaster, are open to 12 to 16-year-old members only and run on Sundays from 12pm to 1pm.