HAVING been a medical marvel as a child, Bury’s Ben Ridings is looking to upset the odds again when he steps on boxing’s big stage.

The 22-year-old, who overcame a rare respiratory condition as a child, is part of Boxxer’s four-man, one-night super-middleweight tournament live on ITV4 and BT Sport on Tuesday night.

It represents a huge chance for the three-fight novice who heads into battle behind closed doors at the BT Sport studio in Stratford on November 10.

Zak Chelli and late replacements Harry Woods and Mike McGoldrick are the others looking to make a name for themselves and capitalise on the major TV exposure.

For Ridings though, stepping through the ropes is an achievement in itself.

“When I was kid I used to have something called tracheobronchomalacia,” he told the Bury Times.

“I was supposed to have an oxygen tank with tubes up my nose my whole life.

“From when I was born they couldn’t understand why I was constantly crying and stuff.

“The condition is something that usually affects old people. It’s not common in young little babies.

“My airways for my lungs were collapsing and I couldn’t breath, which is why I was crying.

“I was being looked after with that until I was about three or four and then one day the doctors didn’t know why but it was a miracle and I didn’t need the oxygen tank anymore.

“I just got into sports from then because I could, I had the freedom to run and do all this and that.

“I’m fit as a fiddle now. It’s crazy looking back.”

Ridings’ recovery was so unusual that it was used for future research.

“The diagrams of my lungs were used for studies for medical students and things like that,” he said.

“I think I was the third baby in the UK at the time to have it. It was a very rare condition to have.”

The former Dynamics ABC and Bury ABC fighter has had a stop-start boxing career and had no intention of turning professional when he linked up with trainer and manager Kieran Farrell in Heywood three years ago.

But now he has landed a major opportunity and one he’s determined to take. The event should have happened back in April but has been rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s amazing to have it back on,” Ridings said.

“I’ve got nothing to lose and I’ve got everything to gain.

“I’ve only had three fights, there’s no knockouts on my record, nothing standing out as of yet, but it’s exciting because I’m ready to bring it on the night.

“To be honest, I don’t really know boxing, believe it or not.

“I’ve boxed since I was 12 but I never followed boxing. You can look online at people and can see their records but nothing fazes me.

“All we can do is study people and that’s what we’ve been doing and we’ll adapt our style to each fighter. I’m ready for anything.”

The last of Ridings’ three outings came in May 2019 with his development behind the scenes in the meantime aided by sparring world super-middleweight champion Callum Smith.

“The only three fights you can see of me on YouTube is not even me any more,” he said.

“I don’t fight like that any more. I’ve had a year-and-a-half out of the ring and I’ve had a lot of time to adjust.

“I’ve been sparring a world champion in preparation for this and you can’t get better prep than that for my weight class.

“It’s been great because he’s been helping me out as well. Every week I go up there he tells me I’m improving and what better praise can you have.

“It’s a real confidence booster and it is how I feel in myself. I’ve never been more ready for a fight.

“I’m a completely different fighter with a completely different style so they will be in for a shock on the night.”