AHEAD of his final fight of the year, Calne’s Connor Gray says he has been pleased with the progress made during his first 12 months as a professional boxer.

The super-lightweight made his debut in November last year and is looking to secure his seventh win on Saturday to finalise a productive start in the paid ranks.

After what has been a busy year for the youngster who trains out of Liam Lathbury’s Emerald’s Gym in Chippenham, Gray, who is 6-0, says he’s happy with how the year has played out so far.

Not only has the 24-year-old seen an increase in support from people coming to watch him fight, but he has also had a number of sponsors come on board to help him with his career.

“The year has gone so quickly because I have been busy with fighting, it’s flown by to be honest,” he said.

“Seven is a brilliant number of fights to have had in a year. It’s kept me focused on boxing, otherwise my mind wanders, so it helps me with my mindset.

“I’m really happy with the year, the tickets are selling well, I can see my fan-base growing, and we are starting to get sponsors coming on board now too.

“They’re going to be sending us lots of kit and equipment, so that’s a bit of help.”

Last time out, Gray went the distance with Christian Lopez Flores in Swindon and had to navigate a hand injury during the contest.

However, the talented prospect believes there were lots of positives to take out of the fight and says being able to see out the win despite having an issue with his hand has given him a confidence boost.

“It was a good tough fight, and it was one that I needed,” he added.

“I hurt my hand on the pads but I didn’t think anything of it, I thought I just caught the shot funny.

“Then I caught him with the first left hand and then I felt it, so took it a bit easy and it was playing on my mind for the first couple of rounds.

“I had to get through the hand injury, and my opponent came to win, so I learnt a lot more from that than I would have through training.”