Boxing: Witter: Boxing kept me on the straight and narrow

Bradford's British, Commonwealth and European light welterweight champion Junior Witter has revealed how boxing has steered him away from the many troubles that beset the youth in his hometown.

"For as long as I can remember there has been tension in Bradford," said the 30-year-old, who defends his European title against Krzysztof Bienias at the Wembley Conference Centre on Friday night's Hennessy Sports 'Born To Do It' promotion.

"There are racial issues. There is fear, ignorance, unemployment, poverty and religious and political extremism.

"A lot of the youngsters in the area find it difficult not to get caught up in it all that. At times it threatens to spill over as it did in 1995 with the riots. I know for a fact that kids I went to school with were involved. These same kids now spend there days as 30-year-olds hanging around street corners with absolutely no ambition. It is a vicious circle and young people can be so easily led. I could have easily been one of them."