JAILED as a wild teenager, Luke Blackledge needed no shortage of raw willpower to emerge from prison and turn his troubled life around.

A month from now, in Manchester, Blackledge faces what he describes as the ‘biggest challenge of my life’ when he goes head to head with undefeated super-middleweight Callum Smith for a shot at the British crown.

But while the odds are stacked against the 26-year-old Lancastrian, remember this was the man who travelled to Demark four years ago to shock former world title challenger Mads Larsen.

“I’ve always had to fight hard for things in my life, but I’m at my most dangerous when people write me off, as many have done before I meet Callum Smith,” said the Commonwealth super-middleweight champion.

“It’s like if you’re in a hard fight and you’re losing, you’ve just got to grit your teeth and get through it. That’s the way I deal with it.”

Born and bred in Clitheroe, he was 18 when he took up boxing and it proved a steep learning curve along a sometimes rocky path.

He recalled: “I was always getting into trouble, fighting, getting arrested, so I got into boxing to keep me off the streets.

“Boxing got me on the straight and narrow – gave me a discipline and a goal to work towards.

“I trained like a professional from the minute I walked in there and was dedicated – I wouldn’t have had this success without that.

He added: “I’ve been waiting a long time to have a shot at the British title.

“You know I asked for this fight, that’s how much it means to me.

“I look at it and I say, ‘Luke, you’ve nothing to lose pal.

“He has everything to lose, though.

“People say I’ve lost the fight already and I’ve no chance, but we’ll see.”

Determination is something that the Darwen-based fighter has become renowned for on the British boxing scene.

It is a crucial part of his armoury, just as much as those super-charged iron fists and that ferocious self-belief that drives him on to the next scrap.

“I’ll perform out of my skin because I feel that I’m capable of pulling this off,” he said.

“The Smith fight is the most important of my life, my biggest challenge, and people are willing me to do it.

“Yesterday I got a letter from a fan in America asking for my autograph and I was so humbled.

“I thought, ‘Wow’. Boxing has given me this amazing opportunity in life.”

Smith, the youngest of four fighting brothers from Liverpool, is a formidable opponent and Blackledge will need to summon up a career best show to claim victory against a fighter who can boast 16 knockouts in 21 professional wins.

But Blackledge, who did not have a single amateur fight and learned his trade on the unlicensed scene, thinks that Smith will bring out the best out of him.

“He is without doubt one of the finest super-middleweights in the world, but the better the opponent the better I perform,” said Blackledge, who will lock horns with Smith at Manchester Arena on November 26.

“He’s very dangerous, a big puncher, he’s got good timing and a good reach.

“He’s a good all-round fighter and I do respect his record.”

Blackledge will step back inside the ropes tonight as he fine tunes his build-up with an eight round contest at Bolton Wanderers’ Macron stadium.

“I’m in great shape. I’ve no injuries, my sparring and training has gone like clockwork.

“I’ve been ready for Smith for a few weeks now.

“I’ve left no stone unturned in my preparation.

“When I beat him I can be the world number one.”

Looking back, he says his most cherished boxing memory was his victory over Liam Cameron to claim the Commonwealth super-middleweight crown at St George’s Hall, Blackburn.

“That was amazing, winning that fight in front of a local support was something that I will always remember.

“That night I was champion of the 53 Commonwealth countries and that felt unbelievable.

“I’ve made my family happy and that brings me a lot of joy.”