Bury St Edmunds-born and former Breckland School pupil Kieren Keen, from Brandon, set for professional debut at York Hall in October

The father of a boxer who trains at LS Fitness in Rickinghall believes that his son can ‘go to the top level’ after he overcame ‘adversity’ to earn his first professional fight in October.

Kieren Keen, 22, from Brandon, will make his name known to the professional boxing world on October 5 when he fights at York Hall, in Bethnal Green, London.

The former Breckland School pupil, who weighs in at 62kg, began his journey in the sport at the age of 10 and spent the first eight years of his career boxing out of Newmarket and Thetford Town – before training at West Ham Boxing Club.

After plying his trade in London, as well as training with his father at home, Keen, when he was 20, earned the opportunity to learn his craft at ‘the best club in the country’, Repton.

Having shown ‘heart’ and ‘determination’ throughout his time at Repton, Keen recently signed his first professional deal with former boxer-turned-coach, manager and promoter, Kieran Farrell.

“He’s a great trainer, a great manager,” said Darrel Keen, speaking on his son signing with Farrell.

“I took my son to him and he just said ‘what a nice kid you’ve got here, what a good kid you’ve got here, a dedicated kid’.

“We’re very excited. We’ve trained for 12 years for what could initially be 12 minutes, but this was the dream we had when he was little.

“It’s something we’ve done together, we’ve stuck together, we’ve travelled the world together for training camps. It’s a father who used to take his kid everywhere to his kid now taking his dad everywhere.

“When he told me he’s got his debut coming, I did have a little moment to myself. I’m super proud.”

Darrel revealed his son’s journey leading to his first professional bout was far from plain sailing. Keen, whose amateur record was 23-12, suffered multiple setbacks.

One that stands out is when he lost his first fight for Repton – a club with a ‘must-win’ mentality.

While Keen, a full-time mechanic, debated throwing in the towel, he received a message from one of his coaches, who would not let him go out on a loss. Every obstacle thrown in his way, Keen met head on with a resilient attitude which, in harmony with talent, is what his father believes has earned him a shot in the professional scene.

“The journey we’ve been on could have ended several times. We turned up to fights in the amateur (leagues) in London where we were convinced he was going to win and he lost,” said Darrel.

“He had to deal with those big losses and he’s had to get up off the floor a couple of times, but he’s now in a very good place with a good guy and a good team around him.

“He’s come back from it all. He’s really faced adversity and could have walked away many times, but there’s certain people he’s met along the way that wouldn’t let him walk away.

“He’s got a good pro style to take into the pro ranks. This is why we didn’t get to the top level as an amateur, but I definitely believe he can go to the top level as a pro.”

Keen does not yet know who he will fight in the capital, but the bout will be streamed live on FightZone.