Leap of faith for ex-boxer Nelson

JOHNNY Nelson swapped the boxing ring for a showjumping arena yesterday and admitted to a few nerves.

He was put through his paces at Upper Cumberworth, near Huddersfield, by leading showjumper John Whitaker as the pair joined forces for the official launch of the new International Showjumping Event which will take place at the Sheffield Arena at Easter .

Nelson, from Sheffield, is an ambassador for the event on behalf of British Showjumping. He enjoys riding and has had a crash course in showjumping.

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His horse behaved perfectly as the cameras whirred, while John Whitaker had to work hard to get his mount, Catwalk, to calm down. "He doesn't expect to see a lot of people at home watching him," said Whitaker, as Catwalk spooked at the sight of the cameras.

Nelson was World Boxing Organisation cruiserweight world champion for over six years and now has a programme on Sky as well as commentating on boxing.

The Yorkshire International Showjumping Event will have 150,000 in prize money on offer and is supported by Welcome to Yorkshire, the county's tourism agency.