A grandfather-of-seven who lives in a residential home is now a black belt and says he's not done yet.

John Scott, 74, from Rochester, completed the gruelling challenge at the Paul Wiffen Academy.

Club owner, Mr Wiffen said: “It was a privilege to be able to award John’s black belt. He is a dedicated member of the gym and has worked towards it for the last seven years.”

Ahead of the grading, Scott said: “I am not a young man any more but my strength and my ability is there. Sometimes lung capacity lets me down a bit but I overcome that and adapt.

“I am not ready to be sitting down in an old people’s home yet, I’ll box until I drop.”

Scott has overcome a heart attack and beat smoking but faced another tough challenge to claim the top belt in K1 kickboxing.

He said: “While I still have my health and I am able to do it I will carry on because I think the moment you stop doing any form of exercise or training, that is when you get problems.

“You get some people who retire and all they want to do is sit down all day and wonder why they have problems. I am not made like that. My mum was always active and I take after her.”

His great uncle, Dick Smith, was the light heavyweight champion of Great Britain, winning it three times. He fought the likes of Bombardier Billy Wells and Frenchman Georges Carpentier during his career. Smith, originally from Woolwich, moved to Dartford where he ran a pub and displayed his Lonsdale Belt there before his death in 1950.

Scott has always been keen on ring sports.

He was a member of the Battersea Boxing Club, having grown up in London, and fought in the army when serving with the Royal Pioneers and later took to Muay Thai martial arts.

Now retired and living in a residential home in Rochester, his passion for boxing hasn’t stopped.

During lockdown he’d be outside the home where he lives doing runs, sprints and shadow kickboxing along the riverside. It was seven years ago that he joined the Paul Wiffen Academy and signed up to a charity boxing event at Priestfield Stadium. He later switched to kickboxing and trains several times a week.

Fifteen years ago Scott underwent surgery after a heart attack and had two stents inserted, but it didn’t stop him, quite the opposite.

“It just inspired me,” he said. Several years later, he also gave up smoking and is now into healthy eating and exercise.

“All I want to try and do is inspire other people of my age and older that it can be done,” he added.