OLYMPIC hopeful Iain Weaver knows the M1 like the back of his boxing glove.

The Ferndown fighter, who is still aiming to qualify for London 2012 in the lightweight 60kg class, has been based in industrial Sheffield with the Great Britain podium squad for the past three years – quite a difference compared with his home town of Ferndown.

And at just 22, Weaver always looks forward to some creature comforts when he leaves the Steel City for Dorset every Thursday.

Not that it is all rest and relaxation for the talented boxer when he arrives at the family home.

Weaver said: “I get back from Sheffield on a Thursday at about 5pm and chill out.

“On Friday I do a run and do a bit of work with Stuart at my club, Golden Ring in Southampton, and then on Saturday and Sunday I relax.

“I’ll do a run on Monday morning and then head back up to Sheffield.”

Weaver, who fought at 56kg for most of his late teens, has only recently stepped up in weight and admitted the rise in size had helped his quest for the London Games.

He added: “I feel great at 60kg now. Before, I was going home at weekends and training myself into the ground to get the weight off, but now I can relax and I am fully fresh for Sheffield at the start of the week instead of running constantly at weekends and having no time off.

“I was burning out but now I can eat three meals a day and train hard – and add some chill-out time as well.

“My body was late maturing but now I have that ‘man’ strength. I feel great in the gym and fantastic sparring.”

Weaver is due to fight in Bulgaria’s Strandja Cup on Tuesday where a run to the latter stages of the tournament should book his flight to the final Olympic qualifier in Istanbul in April.

A semi-final spot or better in Turkey would secure Weaver’s place in the lightweight category in London.