Boxing barber Dale Follows is a shadow of his former self but memories of his late mum loom large as he prepares to step into the ring at Well Wishers’ charity show on Friday night.

Dale, from Shelfield, a self-employed barber with his own shop, Peaky Barbers in Wednesbury, has shed 10 stone in the last three years.

The 26-year-old, who has gone from 27 stone to 17 stone, lost his mum Amanda to cancer in 2017 and fights on in her memory.

Her face tattooed across his thigh is a permanent reminder to Dale, who will also display Amanda’s name on his shorts on the night.

“I did a charity fight to raise money to treat cancer because she always fought. Since then I’ve done one every year in her memory plus a few in between,” added Dale, who faces Adam Dibble, a student nurse and Healthcare Assistant at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust in the heavyweight contest.

“She beat cancer twice but then she fell down the stairs, had a stroke and died four days later.

“Seeing her fight cancer gave me the courage and motivation to get in the ring. I’ll try to make her proud again. She came to my first fight and since then I’ve done six more – I do a memorial fight for her every year.”

As for shedding the pounds, Dale admits he needed a change of lifestyle. “Getting on the scales made me lose the weight. I’ve always done sport but when I got on the scales, I realised I needed to alter my life,” said Dale.

“I’m a big-boned kid and have always been stocky but was eating the wrong things and drinking. Now I do intermittent fasting – two or three meals a day of about 800 calories – and I’m in the gym seven days a week. I play football, box and swim, training twice a day.

“When lockdown came, I started running and got up to 15k a time – before that, I’d never run in my life. Since then I’ve been doing cardio and strength work in the gym.”

Opponent Adam, 30, from Aldridge, is currently doing his student nursing in ED at Walsall Manor Hospital and is also a Healthcare Assistant at Darwin Medical Centre in Burntwood.

Adam used to be an electrical engineer travelling nationwide but was so inspired by then fiancée and now wife Hannah, who is Academy Clinical Skills Trainer at Walsall Healthcare, that he decided on a career change in lockdown.

“I’d come home and Hannah has always been so enthusiastic about her job through helping others and finds it so rewarding that I decided I wanted to do something like that too and retrained,” said Adam.

As for getting into the ring, student Adam admits he is on a learning curve there too after losing in the last Well Wishers show.

“I lost in the second round before. But I’ve learnt from that because I’d only trained for a short time, whereas this time I’ve been training longer and am fitter now,” he said.

Tipping the scales at 19 stone, Adam has been getting into shape. “I’ve been going to the gym before lectures in the morning, then if I’ve got time afterwards, I go to Martin Gethin’s gym. It makes me feel good,” he said.

“The more we can last the distance, the longer the fights, and the longer the night, the more money we raise.

“I think I’ll last the distance and I’ve got stronger than last time and I’ve got some weight behind me.”

If anyone is hurt, wife Hannah can help out – she just hopes it won’t be her hubby!

“It’s for a good cause to help patients at Goscote Hospice and it’s a social thing too – it’s nice to see your friends and colleagues in one room having a good time.”

The sell-out show takes place at Rushall Labour Club and funds raised will benefit Walsall Healthcare’s Goscote Hospice.