When cricketer Rob Franks was diagnosed with cancer he thought his sporting days were numbered.

After years of excruciating pain he underwent an operation to have his leg amputated, but not only did the procedure save his life it also gave him a new pastime.

Franks, from Poole, has now taken up wheelchair boxing and is set to step in the ring later this month on the South Coast.

He told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: "Wheelchair boxing is a very new sport with only a handful of people doing it in the UK.

"It has now been fully recognised and is done under the World Boxing Council umbrella.

"I will be the first boxer in the south of the UK to do this and the first person to do this in a white collar boxing event."

The fight, taking place at the Royal Bath Hotel in a few weeks’ time, will raise money for the Youth Cancer Trust.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to show what you can do with a disability I'm training for days a week to get into shape and be in the best form I can be in preparation," Rob said.

The father-of-two noticed something was wrong after he suffered a cricket injury in 2011, after being taken to hospital doctors found an aggressive tumour in his left knee.

Undergoing two operations Rob needed crutches and a wheelchair as the surgical procedures had left him with nerve damage.

Determined to return to the field Rob joined a cricket club for disabled people in 2014, but after a few games he suffered a broken leg.

Doctors tried to repair the fracture, although it left Franks in constant agony so in 2018 he had to have the amputation, which he had to fundraise for himself.

And guess what he did last year? Yes, you guessed it, Rob played for the England Disability Cricket team!

Rob Franks boxing fight takes place at the Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth on March 28. You can buy tickets here.