SWINDON boxing coach Paddy Fitzpatrick has joined forces with world class boxing guru Adam Booth.

Their business venture is aimed at finding the “next big thing” in the sport and Fitzpatrick is excited about the new challenge.

Fitzpatrick and Booth are no strangers having worked together in various high-profile fights including David Haye’s world title fight against Wladimir Klitschko back in July 2011.

The partnership springs into action this weekend when Fitzpatrick travels with Booth to Las Vegas to help prime Turkish boxer Selcuk Aydin for his fight against Jesus Soto Caras.

Saturday’s fight is an eliminator bout for the right to fight the winner of Floyd Mayweather Junior and Robert Guerro for the WBC welterweight world title. Fitzpatrick is delighted to be back involved with top level professional boxers although he admitted he had previously lost faith with the paid ranks before being talked around by Booth.

“Adam (Booth) asked me to go into business with him after the James De Gale-George Groves fight but I was losing taste with the professional game at that point,” admitted Fitzpatrick.

“I promised to continue my work with George Groves because I’d committed to that but I told him I wasn’t interested in working with any other guys.

“He asked me again when there was a chance of David Haye fighting Vitali Klitschko but at that time I didn’t think David could beat Vitali so I said I didn’t think I wanted to be involved in training.

“A few months ago he moved to a new gym and showed me around and asked me again.

“For some reason I didn’t give it a second thought. This time he sold it to me like a big ice cream.”

The Fitzpatrick-Booth combination will focus on finding new boxing talent who they are confident of challening at British title level and beyond.

Fitzpatrick added: “Obviously Adam already has David (Haye) and George (Groves) sorted so I would appear like a thief in the night if I tried to muscle in on them.

“They are established and because of them Adam can now open doors. For me it is about finding new talent and bringing them on board and taking care of them.

“I go to Adam’s gym in London twice a week at the moment to help train his boxers.

“This partnership could open doors for local boxers who are good enough.

“We are not looking for Southern Area title hopefuls we are looking for someone a bit special, the next big thing if you like.

“We are not going to just take on anyone and we are not necessarily going to throw them straight into the professional game.

“With us they get access to international sparring and if the best route is to stay busy in the amateurs before turning professional at the right time then that is what we will do.”

When Fitzpatrick returns from Las Vegas he will turn his attentions to helping English middleweight Andy Lee prepare for his fight in Belfast on February 9.

Then back in Swindon on March 15, Fitzpatrick will stage an amateur show at Swindon’s Oasis - an event he hopes to sell out.

“I’m going to call it a night of entertaining,” said Fitzpatrick. “We will kick the night off by having a mini concert with an Irish Folk band prior to the boxing.

“It will be a small show with just 10 or 11 fights but we are going to open it up to full capacity which I think is 1,550 and we will hope to sell it out.”