A FORMER European boxing champion jailed for eight years in 2000 is to launch his comeback in Sheffield.
Terry Dunstan, who has not fought a professional bout since 1999, will box at Don Valley Stadium on October 10.
The contest will be 11 days before his 40th birthday.
The Londoner was incarcerated after admitting false imprisonment, blackmail and aggravated burglary.
His manager, Glyn Rhodes, says: "I am not here to judge what Terry did, but I do know he has served his time and wants to re-build his life through boxing. He wants to get away from the influences of certain people in London. We will help him achieve that.
"I have been watching him sparring with our new 6ft 8in heavyweight (David Howe) and he handles him pretty well. Maybe he still has something left to give."
Dunstan, who is now being trained by Sheffield's Howard Rainey, can certainly be an explosive fighter.
On our website at www.thestar.co.uk/boxing we show a video of his amazing 20-second knockout of Ukranian Alexander Gourov to win the European cruiserweight championship in 1998.
Dunstan had four more fights after that, his last a British title defeat to Carl Thompson, in December 1999, 12 months before he was jailed.
The boxer, who includes Sheffield's John 'Buster' Keeton as one of his successes on his W19 (12K0s) L2 record, says he is now a family man who wants to put his past behind him.
David Howe, the Rainey-trained 17.5-stone heavyweight, has this week signed a three-year promotion deal with Frank Maloney.
He made his pro debut in Sheffield on September 12 in front of 1,000 fans at Don Valley Stadium, stopping Howard Daley with 1.54 of the first round left.
A spokesman said: "He was a little over-excited in that contest, and didn't put on the show that was hoped for.
"But this guy holds the hopes of many in this country as the future of the British heavyweight division."
Sheffield's British light-middleweight champion, Ryan Rhodes, is expected to box on the David Haye v Monte Barrett undercard at London's O2 Arena on November 15.
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The full article contains 387 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.