"It's ridiculous. And it will remain in the distant past.She added: “I count my blessings everyday. Nothing worth having comes easy and I’ve worked so hard. I feel so fortunate. "But Courtenay will continue to try and inspire - inside and outside the ring. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed Shannon Courtenay has already follows the career pattern of Watford pal Anthony Joshua - and hopes to go all the way to the top like he has done Shannon Courtenay and Anthony Joshua are pals who go way back The newly turned professional bantamweight used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day, and drink every night Shannon Courtenay hopes to follow pal Anthony Joshua to boxing glory Shannon Courtenay spars ahead of Saturday's debut at the Copper Box Watford bantamweight Shannon Courtenay is preparing for her pro debut Shannon Courtenay, 25, is nicknamed the Baby Face Assassin Shannon Courtenay was told she was fat and stank of cigarettes the first time she stepped into a gym Shannon Courtenay is training with Adam Booth who used to work with David Haye Shannon Courtenay originally started boxing to lose weight World champ Anthony Joshua walked into a gym and turned his life around - and Shannon Courtenay hopes that can be a glowing example for her boxingDeontay Wilder has reportedly been offered a £75million DAZN deal - including two fights against Anthony Joshua News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.Bantamweight queen Courtenay, 25, was childhood mates with AJ and still calls him by his nicknameSHANNON COURTENAY is the latest reformed Watford wild child targeting boxing glory.And 25-year-old bantamweight Courtenay, a childhood pal of AJ’s, followed the exact same route after swapping the bars for boxing just over four years ago.But since taking up the sport she has lost three stone and is now ready to make her pro debut.The pair’s freakishly similar paths are bound to cross again soon and Courtenay — who still calls the WBA, WBO and IBF king by his childhood nickname Femi — will be bending his ear for guidance.Baby Face Assassin Courtenay told SunSport: “I haven’t seen Femi in a long time or spoken to him since I turned pro.“But I will see him around a lot more at shows now and I am sure he will give me some advice.“I never in a million years expected him to become the huge star that he is.“If you had said to anyone around Watford back in the day that Josh was going to the Olympics, they would have said it would have been for the 100-metre sprint because of how fast he was.“And five years ago, if you had told someone from our area that I was going to box, at any level, they would have laughed at you. The irony with Shannon Courtenay’s appearance tonight at Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp 3 in Brentwood is that before the novel set-up became a reality the 27-year-old was so desperate to fight that she had explained that she would fight in Eddie Hearn’s back garden. I threw my fags in the bin and fell in love with boxing. It wasn’t me.”“I was always really sporty. I did an 8 week prep for The Fresno Classic in the figure category and placed almost last. I was good at football. It’s been such a quick turnaround.”On September 21, 2013 the once hard-drinking chef was dragged along to East London’s Copper Box Arena to watch Billy Joe Saunders, not knowing the importance the venue would soon hold for her.The invitation was only accepted as it offered a rare change to her usual nightclub haunts of Area and Destiny’s on the local high street.But she was still not bowled over by the action and even mistook a Zimbabwe-born heavyweight for Hatfield’s 11st 6lb headliner.The Adam Booth-managed prospect recalled: “When my friends asked me to go, I said ‘no’ but then I thought it might be better than the usual pub or nightclub.“I didn’t know who anyone was — when Dereck Chisora came out for his fight, I even asked my friends if he was Billy Joe Saunders. Fight Camp 3 preview: Undefeated Felix Cash aiming to prove he is a 'top operator' against Jason Wellborn
At the time I weighed 85 kilos. Andy Scott & James Dielhenn. I’m not saying I’m a role model.