Chatteris boxer Jack Smith is hoping to become a household name in the paid ranks ahead of his professional debut this weekend.

The 19-year-old, who won 20 of his 38 fights at amateur level, will make his pro bow against Craig Derbyshire at the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace and says he is itching to get into the ring.

“I’m just excited and looking forward to getting in there and putting on a show,” he said.

“There’s always a little bit of nerves no matter how many times you fight but I’m feeling great and my training camp has gone really well.”

The youngster, who fights out of the St Ives Boxing Academy, has prepared for his super flyweight bout by sparring with some of the country’s finest fighters and says he feels ready to go head-to-head with the more experienced Derbyshire, who has 24 fights under his belt.

“I’ve been doing a lot more strength and conditioning and technique work with my coach, Steve Whitwell, track sessions twice a week and running six times a week,” he said.

“I went to Leicester to spar with Louis Norman, who challenged for the British title and I’ve been down to London to spar with Prince Patel.

“I’ve trained the hardest I have ever done and I’m hoping to put in my best performance. Hopefully I can catch the attention of other local people to join the fan base and hopefully they’ll all be talking about my performance.”

And while Smith is champing at the bit to step through the ropes as a professional, he says he will not rush into fights once his debut is out of the way.

“I’d rather listen to my trainer and go down the right path,” he said.

“I hope to get a couple of good wins and good performances under my belt because as a typical boxer I’d like to achieve as much as I can, but as I’m only 19 there’s no rush.”

Smith will travel to the capital on Saturday with a band over almost 100 supporters behind him, and he hopes to repay their loyalty with a winning display.

“The support has been amazing so far,” he said.

“I’ve sold nearly 100 tickets and some have been sold to people I don’t even know.

“It’s good to see that so many people are supporting a local lad. I even get people in the street saying ‘good luck for your fight’ and telling me that they will come to my next one, so if I can make a big statement on Saturday then my supporter base will undoubtedly grow.”