I was knocked out by Tyson Fury and Tony Bellew, boxing experts backed me to become world champion but my commitment let me down.

Matthew Ellis’ career is an example of what could have been.

The Blackpool boxer was Britain’s No.1 amateur heavyweight and won the national ABAs as a junior and senior.

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In 1996 he was selected to represent Great Britain at the Olympics – an opportunity every young boxer dreams of.

However, Ellis made the alarming decision to turn down his place in pursuit of a lucrative career in the paid ranks.

That year, rather than hopping on a plane to Atlanta with the rest of Team GB, Ellis turned professional.

It’s a choice that still haunts him today.

“Biggest mistake of my life,” Ellis told talkSPORT.com. “Looking back is a beautiful thing, of course. Back then I went to Finland to box (in the Tammer tournament), beat everyone, got to the final and got robbed.

“By that time I was disillusioned with the amateur game, I had boxed great boxers and I had made decisions the other way that shouldn’t have.

“I was young, ITV came along, I had a five-fight contract with them. Looking back, money talks and that’s why I did it. But I should have gone to those Olympics and then sign with someone like Frank Warren.

“If I had competed in these Olympics, I believe I would have won a medal and that would have better prepared me for the pros.”

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Ellis may not have made it to the Olympics, but his glittering amateur CV meant he returned in style.

Early in his professional career, Ellis walked to the ring in a tuxedo with two Page 3 models hanging from each arm.

He was on the cover of local newspapers every week and quickly rose through the professional ranks.

At the peak of his powers, Ellis rose to third in the UK behind former world champions Henry Akinwande and Lennox Lewis.

The brash young puncher was expected to reach heights similar to those mentioned above, but it didn’t quite pan out that way.

Soon he was being used as cannon fodder for newcomers like Tyson Fury and Tony Bellew.

His impressive 17-1-1 record quickly turned into 20-14-2 as his once-promising career went into a steep and merciless decline.

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So how did this happen? And where did it all go wrong?

“It wasn’t just the promoters’ fault, it was my fault too,” Ellis added. “I believed my own hype and it all went to my head.

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“I was a big star, especially in Blackpool. I opened every department store in town and the traffic cops would let me go without a ticket.

“If I was stopped by the police it was the same thing, they would let me go. Soon I cut back on my training and for some of my fights I didn’t even go to the gym.

“You see, when I was in the amateurs, my dad (Frank Ellis) kept me in line, it was: fight, back to the gym, fight, back to the gym.

“But when I turned professional, I left home and found a social life. I remember my father telling my mother ‘we’ve lost him now’ and he was right.

“If I had stayed with my dad I would have been heavyweight champion of the world, you ask anyone in the boxing world and they would say I was one of the biggest underachievers of British boxing.”

In 2003, Ellis was stopped by Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison on his first major climb.

“Magic Matt” injured his shoulder during the fight, requiring several surgeries and, in his own words, “was never the same.”

At the time he was a highly regarded prospect, but after another loss to Tony Moran and a three-year hiatus from the sport, Ellis’ career took a different direction.

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That’s when he started fighting against overmatched opponents like Bellew, Fury and Enzo Maccarinelli – all of whom stopped him within four rounds.

“Those fights against Tony Bellew and Tyson Fury were not at my best. I came back for the money.

“Things had gone wrong in life, I was living in my car, life was blowing up. These fights happened and I took them, tell me a man who wouldn’t.

“When you’re offered that kind of money, you’re going to take it, especially in my position. My dad said ‘you’ll regret it’ and he was right, I regret it. I still live with it now sometimes.”

Fortunately, Ellis is in a much better position today. He owns a solar installation business with a close friend and is a devoted father to his two boys Reuben and Roman.

At the age of 50, he says he trains harder than he did during his professional career, putting in session after grueling session to try to make up for lost time.

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