Grant Dennis has been counting down the hours as he prepares to make his professional boxing debut.

The Chatham middleweight goes up against Bulgarian No.2 Tzvetozar Iliev at York Hall on Saturday night.

‘Go Getter’ Dennis, 30, will be backed by around 150 fans at the Bethnal Green venue and he can’t wait.

He said: “I’m feeling great and am ready to go. There are a couple of coach loads heading up there to the British mecca of boxing and it’s going to be amazing.

“I’ve been in the gym constantly and I’m just counting down the hours now. It’s the best I’ve ever felt.”

Dennis is a personal trainer and fights out of the Box2Win Professional Boxing Club in Rochester.

He has sparred former WBO European super middleweight champion Frank Buglioni ahead of the fight, as well as fellow Chatham middleweight Alfie Little.

He said: “Preparations couldn’t have gone any better.

“Some people might say that 30 is too old but I feel in my prime and better now than when I was 22."

“I’ll be looking to put on a good show. I know I have got the ability to compete with the best in the country – even the world.

Grant’s stablemate Martin Hillman is also in action. The super featherweight from Orpington is up against Croat Antonio Horvatic – a man who stopped his last opponent inside two rounds.