Father hopes spell in rehab will help Preston boxer Scott Fitzgerald to kick his addictions for good and become a world champion

The 28-year-old fighter has already achieved so much in his career despite battling with drink, drug and gambling addictions for a large part of his life.

A National ABA champion at the age of 21, the Preston fighter went on to win Commonwealth Games gold, in Glasgow, in 2014 as an amateur.

After turning professional, he has gone on to claim the British super-welterweight title – defeating domestic rivals Anthony Fowler and Ted Cheeseman in two blockbuster showdowns last year.

Fitzgerald undoubtedly has the talent to be successful on the European and world stage.

However, he is in danger of not realising his full potential due to the addictions which have blighted his life.

It was a year ago this month, on the eve of his bout with Fowler, that Fitzgerald – who is promoted by Eddie Hearn – exclusively revealed to the Lancashire Post that he had an addiction to cocaine.

And in a startling and frank admission to his dad, he admitted to taking drugs from the age of 12-years-old.

In a bid to try to conquer his problems, Fitzgerald has spent time this month receiving treatment at Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance charity.

With a rematch with Fowler in the offing later this year subject to the coronavirus pandemic and a possible contest against Spain’s European champion Sergio Garcia further down the line, a lot is at stake for the man, who grew up at Larches and Savick Amateur Boxing Club.

After checking out of rehabilitation, he has decided to base himself in London for the time being – away from his home city where temptations may lie.

“He’s gone down to London and to be honest, I am not complaining because it’s the best place for him,” said Dave Fitzgerald.

“He’s away from all his so-called mates.

“He has told me that he has been taking drugs since he was 12-years-old.

“Scott has an addictive personality but I don’t think his mates want to see him succeed.

“A real mate would say, ‘Scott you have a chance of a lifetime here’.

“When he came out of rehabilitation, we went around to Eddie Hearn’s – I was there with him.

“Eddie was saying, ‘Scott these people who you’re knocking around with when you go back home are not your real friends’.

“They are probably jealous of where Scott is and Eddie was saying to him that he’s got a massive future ahead of him and that he could easily be a future world champion.”

While seeing his son fulfil all of his sporting prowess is Fitzgerald senior’s dream, his real hope is that his son can stay clean so that he can become a decent person within society.

A former boxer himself, Dave Fitzgerald admits his son’s drug revelations have shocked him to the core.

“I can honestly look in Scott’s eye and my daughters’ and say that I have never taken drugs.

“I am so disappointed that he has got into this.

“In a way I am not bothered about his career, I am more bothered about him as my son.

“I want him to be a decent human being. I don’t want him to have to take drugs just to function.

“This has been going on for such a long time and I didn’t have a clue.

“I said to him what would you have done without the drugs – he would be unstoppable.

“To be honest, I don’t know what he’s capable of because seemingly he’s always been on it.

“He told me about it all about a year ago in a cafe and I felt like jumping over the table and punching him on the nose.

“Looking back, I wish I had because I kind of accepted it back then and thought now that he’s told me, he will stop.

“I thought by confiding in me and bringing it out in the open, he wanted out of it all.”

Fitzgerald senior thanked his son’s long-time manager Steve Wood, who paid for him to spend time at Sporting Chance.

“Steve has been fantastic – he really cares about him,” he said.

“He’s spent 12 days there and hopefully that has helped him.”