Meet the amateur sensation making his pro debut aged 18

Brighton fighter Adam Maca will make his professional debut on Saturday, just three weeks after turning 18.

By the age of 25, Maca plans to be an undisputed world champion cruising around in a carbon black Bugatti.

The teenager is clearly brimming with confidence and, while most teenagers his age might be getting ready for a big summer holiday after their final exams, Maca is preparing to fight under the lights of the most iconic venue in boxing, Madison Square Garden.

"It hasn't kicked in yet. Maybe when I'm making my way ringside it'll feel more real," Maca tells BBC Sport.

"I've had 80 fights as an amateur. A lot of kids my age are just touching 30, 40. I've boxed in every competition there is.

"Since I was a little boy I wanted to be a professional boxer. Your heart's not in it [at amateur level], I just always wanted to turn pro so when I turned 18 I knew I would."

Maca is signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom and will fight on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins' world title defence against George Kambosos Jr.

The Englishman, born to a Albanian father and a British-Yemeni mother, became hooked on the sport when his mum brought him to a boxing gym aged five.

"I was doing loads of sports at the time. But when I started sparring at about nine I just fell in love with it," he says.

"The first time I got punched I thought 'I have to get him back'. I used to get angry when I'd get hit. You have to learn to take one and land two in a minute."

Maca caught the eye of Matchroom because of his remarkable amateur record. He has seven titles in the junior ranks, including five national titles.

He also won a silver medal at the IBA World Junior Championships representing Albania in 2023.

While he was earmarked to be a potential Olympian, he has long had his sights on linking up with Hearn - even cornering him at an event with fellow future Matchroom fighter and heavyweight Leo Atang.

"We didn't get ringside [tickets] back then," Maca jokes. "We spoke to Eddie and said we wanted to sign with him one day. He said, 'come to me when you're a bit older, boys'. And now here we are."

Like Maca, Atang will make his professional bow as an 18-year-old. He fights on Jack Catterall's undercard in Manchester in July.

Maca faces Rafael Castillo on Saturday. The New Yorker is exactly twice Maca's age but should be a soft introduction to the paid ranks, with a 2-6 record and only eight bouts under his belt since 2017.

Maca believes he is a "come forward fighter". He regularly travels a three-hour round trip from Chatham to Brighton to train under Dan Woledge, the coach who guided Moses Itauma at the start of his career.

Despite not yet stepping in the ring as a pro, Maca has already been tipped for stardom. By himself, his promoter, his team and his family.

"My mum and sisters gas me up all the time. It's confidence as well. When you're in with top kids and you're knocking them out, that's where it all comes from," Maca says.

It may be a lot of pressure for young shoulders, but after outlaying what he wants to achieve by the time he's 25, Maca is taking the expectations in his stride.

"There's nothing that scares me," he says.