Talented and unbeaten cruiserweight prospect, John ‘The Gentleman’ Hedges will now be trained by former two-weight world champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Ricky Hatton.

In need of a new trainer after parting ways with Mark Tibbs, Essex-born Hedges, 10-0 (3 KOs), needed to find somebody he could trust to not only get him in shape to fight Nathan Quarless, 13-1, in their English title eliminator on May 17th, but also somebody capable of helping him devise and carry out a plan to beat the Liverpudlian.

Hedges and Quarless will fight on the undercard of the heavyweight rematch between Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen at London’s Copperbox. DAZN will stream the event.

The 22 year-old didn’t have to scroll too far through his phone before the ideal name sprung to mind and a couple of days later, Hedges found himself 200 miles north at Hatton’s Gym in Hyde.

“It was so random. Everyone said the same thing. I think more than anything, me and Ricky have been mates quite a while,” Hedges told The Ring.

“I basically just sat down with my dad and thought of a few names who we could try. We didn’t wanna pick anything too tragic and I went, 'Dad, I think when things like this happen, it's kind of like God's blessing and a blessing in disguise.’

“So I said instead of messing about with trying this person that we might not like or trying that, I know Ricky's a great trainer, I know he's a good man. Why don't I just give him a ring and see what he says? Here we are.

“I haven't got enough time to mess about in the sense of if I didn't like the gym I was at to move again. I had to commit. I've got six weeks until fight night.

“I knew straight away we’ll click. All it was going to depend on is if we see boxing the same and after the first two sessions, I made my mind up. I looked around for accommodation, finally found somewhere and I said, ’Right, Rick. Let’s go win this English eliminator.’”

Hatton hasn’t given Hedges an easy introduction to life in Manchester.

During Hatton’s prime as a fighter, his trainer, Billy Graham, preached the benefits of mixing easier days in with the hard to give the body and mind a welcome respite from the grind of training for championship level fights.

The two only have a limited amount of time together before plunging directly into an important fight but as well as wanting to hit the ground running, Hatton will have been gauging how far he can push Hedges and just how willing his new prospect is to throw himself into his new regime.

“Well, I'm hoping then that might mean I get a rest day tomorrow,” Hedges laughed.

“We have absolutely flogged it, if I'm honest with you. Not to make up for lost time but just so we're in the place where we need to be right from the start.

“A hundred percent, they’re trying to see if I've got quit in me but I said this to Ricky, “I'll be in this gym all day, mate. There's no quit in me.’

“I think he understands that now so, I've proved my point in a way.”