A Balloch boxer aiming to go pro has spoken out about how the sport has turned his life around.

Xander Savage claims he would have probably ended up "in jail” had he not taken up the combat sport.

As a young teen, Xander says he was involved in constant fights at school and would regularly get suspended.

But the dad-of-one says he has transformed his attitude through physical training, starting out with martial art Muay Thai aged 13, before moving into the boxing ring.

And he believes other young people who are struggling with anger can conquer their struggles too by applying themselves to an activity they love.

Xander, 20, said: “I was always fighting at school. I found it hard to concentrate.

“I was a young boy with a lot of pent up anger. I didn’t know how to control it. Looking back, it’s stupid how I behaved. I had a bit of a reputation as a thug (I hate to say the word).

“My step dad had said to my mum, ‘You need to get this boy into something.’ He was the one who said to try martial arts and said I’d see how it makes you feel better.

“At my first session I thought, ‘This is amazing.’ I could go and get the aggression out. I just felt so much more relaxed.

“If I hadn’t have found martial arts and boxing, I’d probably be in jail to be honest.

“I remember my coach sat me down and said he’d heard this and that about me. He talked about Lord of the Rings and said to me, ‘Imagine you’re Frodo Baggins. You need to be that good guy.”

From then on Xander says he was hooked. He took on his first Muay Thai fight aged 16, but a resulting knee injury led him to truly discover his punching skills.

Currently at semi-professional level and travelling to Glasgow to train full time four times a week, the welterweight is now on a mission to fight professionally.

And he’s determined to reach the top and to provide for his little girl, Sydney.

“My team do believe I have what it takes,” Xander said. “I’ve had 12 fights so far. I’ve lost two and won the rest - three of them were knockouts.

“It’s about getting noticed now.

“When I do make it I’ll always remember where I came from.”

And Xander says that no matter how lost someone feels, they can find a way onto the right track by engaging in a positive activity.

The former Vale Academy pupil said: “It doesn’t have to be boxing. It could be anything, like cookery, football, going to the gym, working in a garage at the weekend. Just stick to it. You will see the benefits.

“If there’s something you want to spend the rest of your life doing then just do it.

“It’s not that I’m any different from any of you. It’s lots of hard work.”