Local lad who took on the world

Ingle gave Prince Naseem Hamed a scare in 1997

He may not be as well-known as Prince Naseem Hamed or Lennox Lewis, but to the people of Scarborough, Paul Ingle is a national treasure.

The proud Yorkshiremen and women have followed their boy's progress as he rose from humble beginnnings to become a world champion boxer.

Now they are united in grief, praying for his recovery after Saturday's IBF featherweight title defeat by Mbulelo Botile in Sheffield left him in a coma.

Ingle's charm has always lay in his refusal to get swept away by the hype and bravado surrounding the sport he loves.

The Yorkshireman shows his delight at beating Junior Jones

Brought up on Scarborough's tough Edgehill estate, the keen pigeon-fancier never allowed fame and fortune to dampen his love for the seaside town and is still a regular in the local pubs and clubs.

Ingle, 27, took his first steps to stardom in the local amateur boxing club, where even the old hands who had seen it all before, knew they had unearthed a little gem.

The shaven-headed youngster fought his way through the junior ranks, before establishing himself as one of Britain's most exciting amateurs.

ABA titles at flyweight in 1991 and 1993 had the promoters queueing up and in 1994 he signed professional terms with Frank Maloney.

The biggest wrench was leaving his trainer and mentor Tommy Johnson, but after making his paid debut at the age of 21, Ingle slowly but surely carved out a new partnership with Steve Pollard.

Titanic

The pair worked together in Hull, with Pollard putting the youngster through his paces in the gym every day, while allowing him to return to his beloved Scarborough in the evenings.

Late-night bouts in London's Bethnal Green became commonplace, but the hard slog finally paid off in January 1997 when 'The Yorkshire Hunter' came of age.

Ingle rests during Saturday's tragic bout with Mbulelo Botile

His emphatic eighth-round stoppage of Colin McMillan to win the British nine-stone title was hailed by the critics and paved the way for a titanic tussle with Hamed two years later.

Although losing in 11 rounds, Ingle showed his bravery by twice picking himself off the canvas and giving his supposedly invincible opponent one of the biggest frights of his career.

Before Staurday's tragic contest with Botile, this was the only blemish on Ingle's record and one which no fighter could be ashamed of.

Later that year, he got his hands on the world title he deserved, winning a unanimous points decision over Manuel Medina to claim the IBF Featherweight crown.

A successful defence against Junior Jones in Madison Square Garden followed in April this year, when he stopped the American in the 11th to put himself firmly on the world map.

But despite his new-found wealth and fame, Ingle's travels always took him back to his beloved Scarborough, where a devoted community anxiously awaits his safe return.