SEAN McGoldrick has paid tribute to those in charge of amateur boxing in Wales after turning professional and setting out on his quest to become a world champion.

The Newport fighter, Commonwealth Games bantamweight gold medallist in 2010, announced on Wednesday he had signed a management deal with MGM.

The management company, co-founded by former British and European middleweight number one Matthew Macklin, believe the 24-year-old has the ability to reach the top.

And, while he is excited about the future, the Welshman, who also won Commonwealth bronze two years ago, is keen to thank those who helped him in his amateur days.

“I went to the Commonwealth Games when I was 18 and I owe a big thank you to the Welsh ABA for that,” said McGoldrick, who is still going to be trained by Tony Borg at St Joseph’s.

“They sent me to Delhi and supported me when I got into the GB Boxing set-up.

“I’ve travelled all over the world in the last six years and I pretty much owe all that to the Welsh ABA.

“They showed they believed in me when they picked me for the Commonwealth Games, and I helped repay them with a gold medal and then a bronze in 2014.”

He went on to add: “I’ve been an amateur for a long time.

“I had a choice of waiting two years for the next Commonwealth Games and doing another four-year cycle for the Olympics or turning pro to fulfil another dream of mine.

“When I walked into the gym as a young boy and was watching Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton I always wanted to be a world champion myself, and I thought now was the right time to move on and turn pro.

“I really believe that with Tony Borg, who has also been great with me, as my trainer and the guidance of MGM I am in the right environment to become a world champion.

“Being a world champion is my aim. I know there are going to be ups and downs along the way and I’m not naive to think I’m automatically going to get what I want.”

McGoldrick says he is prepared to move up or down in weight if necessary and would love to make his professional debut this side of Christmas if possible.

“I had many good offers on the table but what MGM do for boxers made me go with them,” he said.

“Hopefully now I can go on to bigger and better things. It’s going to be hard but I’ve been with Tony Borg for a long time and he knows what it’s like to train champions.

“I’m still only 24 and I’ve seen the other boys in the gym working really hard to get where they are.

“I train alongside them every day and have seen what it takes to get to the top.”

McGoldrick was also eager to thank Sport Wales and GB Boxing for their support during his amateur career.