GAVIN Gwynne becomes the latest St Joseph’s fighter to make his professional debut tonight, as five of the Newport gym’s recruits take to the ring in Merthyr Tydfil.

A former national champion and Wales international at amateur level, lightweight Gwynne faces Swindon’s Joe Beeden over four rounds at Rhydycar Leisure Centre.

Also appearing on an action-packed Sanigar Events bill are Gwynne’s stablemates Morgan Jones, Kyle Jones, Robbie Turley and Ashley Brace, with 13 bouts in all taking place.

As an amateur, 26-year-old Gwynne represented his country in tournaments across Europe, however his first outing in the pro game comes a lot closer to home.

Hailing from Treharris, a stone’s throw south of Merthyr, Gwynne is ready to make the step up to the paid ranks some three months after deciding to turn professional.

Gwynne, trained by Tony Borg at St Joes, insists he isn’t nervous about his clash with Beeden, 23 – he just doesn’t quite know what to expect in terms of the fight night atmosphere.

“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous about the fight itself,” he said. “I know I have trained hard and am ready for it.

“I’m just a bit nervous about the crowd and what sort of atmosphere to expect as it is all new to me.

“Like Tony Borg has said, I just need to soak it all up and enjoy the occasion.

“I’m sixth on the bill, about halfway through, so the venue is going to be quite full by that stage.

“I have to try and not get caught up in what is going on around me and stick to my game plan.”

Training alongside the likes of Buckland brothers Mitchell and Gary has done wonders for Gwynne’s ring craft. And, as he admits, Borg has also helped him change his boxing style to suit his frame.

“It’s brilliant to be around so many top fighters,” he added.

“I’ve had a lot of sparring with the Bucklands and it helps you when you’re around all those guys.

“Me and Tony have changed my style.

“I used to be a go-forward fighter but because I’m tall I now box on the back foot and use my jab a lot more.

“I’m throwing some powerful shots from range rather than getting drawn into a war on the inside.”

As for the other St Joseph’s boxers, Morgan Jones and Kyle Jones take on journeymen Elvis Dube and Ibrar Riyaz at light-heavyweight and super-lightweight respectively, super-bantamweight Turley faces Brett Fidoe and Claudia Ferenczi is the opponent for bantamweight Brace.

The action gets under way at around 5.30pm.