A PROMISING young Glasgow boxer has revealed he will snub a professional career to focus his efforts on claiming Commonwealth and Olympic medal glory.
A PROMISING young Glasgow boxer has revealed he will snub a professional career to focus his efforts on claiming Commonwealth and Olympic medal glory.
Joe Ham jnr has already won gold medals at prestigious international tournaments in Finland, where he was named best boxer in the event, and in Croatia.
The 17-year-old is also a multiple winner of junior titles at both Western District and Scottish national championship level.
But with big interest in his talents from the professional ranks growing daily, Joe said he is determined to stay amateur to strike gold.
He added: "My dream is to go to Delhi next year for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, then follow that up with London 2012 at the Olympics and try and go out on a real high with a gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.
"If I could win medals at all three that would be great but I am determined that I will finish my amateur career in Glasgow with gold.
"After that there will be plenty of time to think about turning professional and chasing my world title dream.
"But in the amateurs you get the chance to travel all over the world and see and experience different things while you are boxing.
"That is great for me right now as I am just 17."
However, Joe's medal hopes would be nothing but a pipe dream if it was not for the backing he receives from his boss at the SCS Group, Bobby Roddie.
The young boxing champion said: "I am an apprentice joiner with the SCS group and my boss, Bobby Roddie, has been really supportive in giving me time off to go to the different tournaments abroad. If he wasn't so supportive then I wouldn't be fighting in any of them. So I am really grateful to Bobby.
"On top of that my father, Joe Ham snr, is my main trainer at the Dennistoun McNair ABC club and, along with Jamie Cunningham and Lee Munro, they put so much into my training that I am really lucky.
"The best way to repay them all is with medals. In the next few weeks I will be fighting in more European tournaments before boxing in the British championships, where I am determined to win a gold medal after having won silver and bronze in the last two years."
The young bantamweight says he is to busy trying to develop his own style of boxing to try and copy any of the boxing greats.
But the Scottish junior champion said: "Ricky Hatton is definitely my favourite boxer but my style is different to his.
"I like to use the jab and keep it at long range but I do have a good left hook to the body and recently I stopped two opponents with that punch. But I just try and do what is right for me and keep learning and improving all the time."
