Warren Fenn is ready to become boxing’s knock-out king after his Olympic dreams were shattered.

As a teenager, Fenn, raised in Hounslow and living in Mitcham, was part of the Great Britain athletics team.

His team-mates included golden girl Jessica Ennis and Mark Lewis-Francis and, like them, Fenn was also expected to be targeting medals on the track and would have been the ideal age for the London Olympics next year.

But, aged 15, after he had run 100m in an impressive 10.6 seconds a ruptured hamstring meant Fenn had to give up his hopes of a career in athletics .

Instead, he decided to take up boxing.

His explosive punching power took him to eight straight wins as an amateur and he makes his professional debut at the Coronet in Elephant and Castle on Friday, September 15.

The 12-fight bill is topped by a fight for the vacant Southern Area Welterweight title between Croydon punching machine Chas Symonds and Gavin Tait.

It could be the start of an illustrious professional career and Fenn is certainly aiming high.

“Obviously I was devastated when I had to give up athletics,” said the 24 year-old.

“But I believe everything happens for a reason and that injury led me to take up boxing.

“If I become a world boxing champion – and that’s my target – then that injury will have been a blessing.”

Fenn is also promoising those that turn up to watch him a night worth seeing.

“Boxing is about entertainment and I try to entertain,” he said.

“Every fan wants to see a knockout – and that’s what I try to give them.”

Fenn learned to fight when he was forced to confront bullies as a child at school.

As a teenager, he left Hounslow for Louth in Lincolnshire and was targeted in the schoolyard.

“I got abuse every day and had a lot of fights,” he said.

“I was fighting bigger, older lads every day and most of them got more than they bargained for when they came up against me.”

Fenn was asked to leave his school after a confrontation with a gang.

“They kept pinching our football and I got sick of it,” he said.

“I got into a scrap with this lad and then all his mates jumped on me, so I sorted them out as well.

“It was going to be hard for me to go back to school after that and I was asked to leave.”

Fenn is training at Rose Hill ABC as he continues his build up to the fight.

The same gym has also seen the return of former double British light welterweight champion and former English light welterweight champion Lenny Daws to training.

The Carshalton boxer, who fights out of Morden, has not been in the ring since losing his British title to Ashley Theophane at Wembley Arena in February.

The 33-year-old said he would not be retiring from boxing but a date for his next fight is yet to be announced.

Tickets for Fenn’s fight are available by calling 07525 938773.