A PROFESSIONAL boxer is preparing for a mammoth physical challenge to help send a sick boy and his family on holiday.

Jake Best, of Poole, is taking on the Jurassic Coast 100 challenge - a 100km run along the Jurassic Coast from Weymouth to Exmouth on May 20.

And he'll be doing it in 24 hours wearing 40lbs of weights and equipment, just to add to the difficulty.

It will be one of the hardest challenges yet for the 31-year-old who is doing it to raise money for Felix Brown and his family.

Eleven-year-old Felix is battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The Hill View Primary School pupil is in and out of hospital receiving treatment - something Mr Best says has obviously taken its toll on the Brown family.

Mr Best has previously worked with seriously ill children and loves doing so because of their healthy attitude to their illnesses which often require extensive medical treatment on a frequent basis.

"It's a real inspiration doing these gruelling challenges - if kids can do it on a daily basis then so can I," he said.

Mr Best has been running on sand at Poole and Bournemouth and the hills at Lulworth several times a week to build his leg strength, helped by a new training regime.

He is doing it with the support of The Best Team - a community aimed at helping like-minded young boxers come together and reach their full potential.

TBT stands for The Best Team - a slogan invented to inspire others to work as a team.

Mr Best said: "Felix was doing it for others. He was raising money for Cancer Research - not himself. I just thought it would be lovely to give back to the boy who keeps on giving.

"Since getting to know him I understand how much the illness affects him and the whole family.

"I'd like to try and raise enough money to send them all on holiday in 2019 when he's finished his treatment."

Kerry Brown, Felix's mum, said: "We're in absolute awe of what Jake's doing. He's just amazing in terms of his efforts - he's a huge inspiration. We just can't believe he's doing this - he's just a machine.

"It's amazing to see the boxing community come together to help children like Felix. We can't thank him enough."

To donate to Mr Best's cause visit the-best-team.co.uk/challenge.