England’s light-welterweight king, Nigel Wright, looks destined for a great career in the boxing game after clinching his first pro crown in March 2005.

The 25-year-old from County Durham knocked out previously-unbeaten West Bromwich fighter Dean Hickman in the seventh round at Doncaster Dome to win the vacant English light-welterweight title in a fight screened live by Sky Sports.

Nigel has served something of a long apprenticeship since turning pro for manager Gus Robinson and promoters Sports Network in 2000.

The talented and hard-hitting southpaw won his first five outings before suffering a painful and controversial defeat at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow to Scottish welterweight Kevin McIntyre. Many experts believe Wright was robbed and to add injury to insult, he broke both hands in the process.

But Nigel has shown he is made of the Wright stuff by coming back with a spectacular run, winning his next eight bouts, four of the victories coming inside the distance, culminating in the sensational KO of Hickman at Doncaster.

Sky’s boxing experts have all predicted big things for Wright, who had a super amateur career.

Nigel was a double ABA champion, triumphing in 1998 and 2000. An England international, he fought for his country as a teenager in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, reaching the quarter-finals, while he also took part in the World Amateur Championships in Houston, Texas.

As a junior, Nigel, who represented Shildon ABC, reached the finals of the NABC Championships and Junior ABAs in 1997.

He lives in Spennymoor, where he works as a lifeguard at the town’s Leisure Centre. He is engaged to Rebecca and the couple have a baby daughter, Mia.