ROSS Cooksey’s transition into the professional ranks has been so smooth that his coaches and management team are full of confidence he can go far in the sport.

Cooksey takes on Luke Fash at Blackpool Winter Gardens this Saturday, and although the four-round bout is just his second contest, his manager Mark Taylor believes the 24-year-old is way ahead of schedule in adapting to life in the pro game.

Taylor puts Cooksey’s good progress down to a combination of the fact that he is a hard worker and good listener in the gym, and that he has had solid grounding in the amateur ranks under Jeff Moses at Barrow ABC.

“We are really impressed with his training and how he is coming on as a fighter,” Taylor said of Cooksey.

“I would describe him as a 10-plus fighter already because of his amateur career. That background has given him a brilliant footing in the pro game. We have to thank Barrow ABC for that as well, they have done a great job with him.”

Cooksey has been juggling his time between training hard under coaches Steve and Shaun Egan at Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy in Manchester, and learning his trade as an apprentice welder at BAE Systems.

And he has also found the time to return to Brook Street to help out with junior coaching alongside Moses, and donated some tickets for the Blackpool show to young club members.

“He’s is hard at training, and it’s going brilliant,” said Taylor. “Obviously, most of the time he is down at Jimmy Egan’s, but he has been in several gyms sparring. He has had some successful sparring and he is looking good.

“The boxing world appreciates hard work. The lad has re-trained himself for his job at BAE, and he is having to do a lot of travelling for his boxing.”

Cooksey will be looking to make it two wins from two after getting his pro career off to a flier with a first-round stoppage win over Stefan Sashov in a super-bantamweight clash in Manchester in April.

Fash is an experienced campaigner, and although his pro record is not an impressive one – two wins and a draw from 29 fights – the 27-year-old from Hull will not be an easy opponent to face for a rookie pro like Cooksey.

Many fans will be heading to Blackpool from Furness to support Cooksey, who is thankful for their support and that of backers such as Mobile Man and Duddon Tyres.