Meet Oscar de la Lawyer, UK’s first boxer and solicitor...

OSCAR McCRACKEN is the country's first solicitor by day and fighter by night - and the owner of arguably boxing's greatest nickname. The 25-year-old's uncle Rob used to train Anthony Joshua and still works as Team GB's head amateur coach. His father Spencer was also a welterweight fighter - so it was only a matter of time till his son, Oscar, entered the family business.

Image Credit: The Sun [Man in suit holding boxing gloves in boxing gym.]

But Oscar tells us: “My dad never wanted me to box.”. So instead he played football, captaining his county and even having trials with Birmingham City - his boyhood club. But Oscar was always in the boxing gym - from as far back as he can remember - sparring pro fighters by his teenage years.

Image Credit: The Sun [Portrait of a young man in a suit with his arms crossed.]

By his 18th birthday, Oscar decided he too wanted to be a boxer, like his uncle, dad and brother Spencer Jr before him. But his old man - who had 19 wins, four losses and one draw - had just one rule - study for another career at the same time. So Oscar enrolled into the University of Worcester and achieved a First Class LLB Law with Honours degree in 2022.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two boxers facing each other in a boxing ring.]

He was also gearing up for his pro debut when his dad came up with quite possibly boxing's most ingenious moniker. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. It all started when Oscar travelled to the Cayman Islands to help corner Matt Windle - a former Commonwealth champion.

Image Credit: The Sun [Man in suit and blue boxing gloves in front of boxing bags.]

An argument broke out with a promoter when a cocksure lawyer - who thought he could talk his way out of the dispute - chimed in. But he was not the only man of the law in the building that day. Oscar said: "An issue cropped up between the promoter and a couple of others.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two boxers in a boxing ring.]

“Then a lawyer came in and thought he was going to just start telling everybody what was what. “But obviously he didn't know that I've got a legal background as well, so we ended up in a bit of an argument - well, discussion. “And after it was fully rectified after quite an intense hour or so. My dad just said, ‘See, I told you Oscar de la Lawyer would sort it.’.

Image Credit: The Sun [Oscar De La Hoya, Fighter of the Year, wearing a championship belt.]

“The whole room just went up, all the fighters, all the managers, promoters everything, and I thought, ‘Oh, you've just thought of the name.' It's perfect.". Oscar was actually named after American great De La Hoya too - such was his dad's love for the Golden Boy.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two boxers, one with his arm raised in victory.]

He said: "My dad was a big fan of him back in the day, so that's what I'm named after. “So it’s just mad how it's come around now that it just fits perfectly off Oscar de la Hoya, but I can't believe how much it's picked. "I didn't expect any of this.”.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two boxers in a boxing ring, one throwing a punch.]

His dad revealed the amazing nickname to millions on social media - and it also received an extra push thanks to the People's Paper. Oscar revealed: “The Sun actually did an article! My phone was going, I was playing football because I still play football - I play Saturdays.

Image Credit: The Sun [Anthony Joshua and his trainer Rob McCracken posing with championship belts.]

“I got off the pitch and my phone was going insane. I was like, what's going on there? ‘Have you seen in this? You're in The Sun!. “I didn’t know anything about this. And from then on it's just been all about the name, yeah, people love it.”. Oscar is a year away from becoming a fully-qualified solicitor and is currently working in the corporate and commercial sector.

Image Credit: The Sun [A man kissing a woman breastfeeding their newborn baby.]

But Oscar wants to one day mix his two passions to protect young up-and-coming fighters from boxing's shady, fame-hungry characters. He said: “Would you want to go and get a manager who's sticking his face on TV every five seconds, never boxed a day in his life?.

“But you know, he gets on with the big promoters because he's got a big mouth, but he can't guide you. “He'd put you in the wrong fights. That's why so many prospects are getting beat now. "Or would you want to go with a manager who one had the balls to fight?.

“I don't need to fight, but I've done it myself because I've got respect for fighters and I know how hard it is, and you can see that I've done that as well.”. Oscar - who welcomed baby son Arthur into the world in November - lives next door to dad and coach Spencer.

He is up by 6am for his runs, in the office by 9am, then back into the gym by the evening for more exhausting training. Oscar said: “Sometimes I get in there, my dad's got like two lads from a different gym waiting to spar me. I didn't even know I'd be sparring.

I've had a couple of like little marks and black eyes and that and gone in the office and everyone's had a look, but what do you expect it’s boxing?. “I'm walking into a gym, I could be absolutely knackered and then I've got two people waiting. They're thinking, ‘I don't care about the law thing.’.

“They're thinking, ‘I've got a McCracken here I can smash up and I can go and tell everybody I've battered one.’. “So then it's about you've got to find the dog in you then of getting through, getting through the session and seeing how much you want it.

“If I didn't want it, there's no way I would have gotten to my third fight because of how hard it is.”. Oscar only just begins winding down by 8.30pm when he eats dinner and puts his son to bed - but it's now baby Arthur who inspires his long hard days.