David Adeleye trained with celeb star Jake Paul, is on verge of world title shot but says uni degree is his biggest win
The London heavyweight comes in as an outsider on Saturday in Saudi Arabia - on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte in Riyadh.
But boxing clever will be no problem for Adeleye.
After all, he achieved a Business Management degree from the University of Wolverhampton in 2019 - just months before turning professional.
He juggled ringsmarts with booksmarts by completing his studies while fighting as an amateur out of West London's Dale Youth gym.
Boxing gave Adeleye the chance to duck trouble on the streets - but it was his academics that meant the most to his parents.
He told SunSport: "I got myself in a lot of trouble man, and I felt like it's only that I'd make my mum and dad proud somehow.
"So getting a degree was obviously for them, whereas boxing was for me."
Adeleye has 14 knockouts in his 15 wins, losing just once, but no victory comes close to his business degree.
He said: "I think I beat the odds by obviously getting that degree because a lot of people were obviously probably thinking I wouldn't do it.
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte - all the info
One of the biggest fights of the year has arrived
The highly-touted Moses Itauma faces the biggest test of his fledgling career as he steps into the ring with Dillian Whyte on Saturday night.
Itauma, 20, has great expectations on his shoulders - he has been compared to Mike Tyson and is expected by many to dominate boxing's heavyweight division over the next decade.
But the Slovakian-born star - who sits at 12-0 (10KOs) is yet to face a test anywhere close to what Whyte can offer.
The Body Snatcher is now 37 and has not looked great in his last couple of fights, but the former world title challenger knows an upset win would catapult him right back to the top table.
Watch Itauma vs Whyte LIVE on DAZN
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the fight...
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Start time, TV channel and live stream - all the info
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"But education, I was always good, I got good GCSEs, I did good in college and then uni. I finished up good."
If Adeleye was not in the classroom, he was in the boxing gym, swerving cheap uni nights out on the town like a jab-cross combination.
David Adeleye reveals hilarious story about owing Tyson Fury money for parking ticket
He said: "Everyone's going out for freshers' or there's something going on like every Wednesday people go here, every Thursday people go there.
"For me it was about training and a lot of the times I was in London because I had fights back and forth.
"But thankfully my uni were kind of understanding as well cause they knew I boxed.
"They gave me a lot of leeway if I wasn't coming to lectures or seminars because obviously I was training."
Adeleye needed just one amateur bout - which ended in devastating KO - to convince his dad to back his boxing career.
His mum, however, could not bring herself to watch and still does her best not to now - even though her boy is a pro.
But she does check in to make sure Adeleye - a 2018 national amateur champion - is not cutting corners in training camp.
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Adeleye, known as Big Dave during his time in the unpaid ranks, chuckled: "My mum never really watched my amateur fights.
"But it's so funny because now, she tries not to watch it but always ends up putting it on.
"And they're calling me like, 'Have you gone training? Have you skipped training? Are you doing this?' It's the opposite of before."
Adeleye, 28, suffered his only loss in October 2023 by knockout to Fabio Wardley, 30.
It marked his final fight with trainer Theo Chambers - most recognised as the head coach to YouTube star Jake Paul.
Adeleye lived and trained out of Paul's adopted home of Puerto Rico - where the American lives in a £13MILLION mansion.
He spent time with the prankster-turned-prizefighter - and met the man behind the villain persona.
Adeleye revealed: "He's a cool guy. Nothing like what you see online, nothing what you see on YouTube. He is a proper down to earth fella.
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"But I suppose people are gonna say that about everything. I think people say that about me, right?
"Some people see me online and they think I'm a certain way and then when they meet me in person it's like, 'He's not the same person.'
"But it's just the way it is, right? You just gotta know somebody. I understand them."
Adeleye swapped the palm trees and celebrity circles for the sleepy Surrey town of Merstham under esteemed coach Adam Booth.
And Booth - who shot to recognition as David Haye's trainer - cornered Adeleye to KOs over Solomon Dacres and Jeamie Tshikeva.
But not content with just the British title around his waist - Adeleye jumps up to world level to fight 18-1 Hrgovic on DAZN PPV.
Adeleye said: "When it got offered to me, we said yes and I think the fight got signed and sealed within like 48 hours. It was quick.
"It got offered to me, I took it in a heartbeat."
Adeleye comes into the bout still as an outsider to the heavyweight's elite - but vows to fight his way into the world title frame.
He warned: "This is my coming out fight.
"This is the fight that gets me up in the mix, gets my name involved with all these world title fights."
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