FORMER Hereford rugby player Jay Reidy has mapped out his future in the boxing ring.

Reidy swapped rugby for fighting and after a tough baptism in bareknuckle boxing he put the gloves on for his last outing, writes Matt Bozeat

The 23 year-old light heavyweight came back from his Swindon bout with a points win after a dramatic fight.

Jason Hopkins stepped in to face Reidy at around an hours notice after several fighters pulled out and must have been heavily fancied to win.

Hopkins was having his 19th fight, Reidy his first and the clash got off to the worst possible start for Reidy.

“He hit me with a huge left hook in the first round and put me down,” he said.

That left Reidy needing either a knockout or a dominant last couple of rounds to win the fight on the scorecards.

He said: “I got my boxing together and won the rest of the fight.”

There is a chance Reidy and Hopkins could meet in a rematch in Swindon on August 13.

Reidy is set to box on the show and says Hopkins has been mooted as a possible opponent.

Reidy said: “I want to keep fighting regularly, keep winning, make a name for myself and eventually turn professional one day.”

As a boy, he trained with Dazzo Williams, the former British featherweight champion.

“I was boxing and playing rugby at the same time,” explained Reidy, “and I ended up choosing rugby."

Reidy proved his mettle by getting in with former gloved pro Craig ‘Rocky’ Morgan in only his second fight.

He added: “After that, I decided to go to gloved boxing."