HE'S obsessed with Lady Gaga and managed in Las Vegas by Roy Jones Junior – Fes Batista is not your average boxer.

The 24-year-old is back in his native West Yorkshire on a flying visit while he waits for his visa to be rubber-stamped.

With his sparkly visor glasses and blinged-up look, he is hard to miss.

But behind the flash image is someone determined to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – and prove there is substance to the style. A minimum three-year contract with ring legend Jones offers the perfect launchpad.

Batista's first professional welterweight fight is planned for January – and with the connections that his manager has, the world is quite literally his oyster.

He said: "It's a dream come true and I'm very excited. I grew up watching Roy Jones knocking all these guys out and winning world titles for fun.

"To hear him call me by my first name is such a thrill. But I've had to prove myself to him and now the pressure is obviously high."

Batista, real name Mohammed Faisal, only took up boxing five years ago after deciding that he was not good enough at cricket.

"I was always told I couldn't do it because I didn't have an Olympic gold medal or hadn't been boxing since I was seven or eight," he said.

"The so-called experts were saying that boxers can't be made. Well, that's their opinion and they are entitled to it.

"Cricket was my sport but I wasn't that talented, so my dad suggested I learned to box. I'm friends with Amir Khan and he talked to me and inspired me and it went from there."

Jones saw enough from his amateur, exhibition and organised private bouts to suggest that Batista had the talent. There was just one defeat at the hands of an American – "he was three weight divisions above me and I gave him two black eyes".

Batista has already made an impact working for the World Boxing Council in their anti-bullying programme. He was targeted racially as a teenager – and cites the lyrics of a Lady Gaga song for stopping him from suicidal thoughts.

He uses social media to speak to potential victims and is planning a repeat trip to Russell Hall Primary School in Queensbury after talking to young pupils there last year.

Batista said: "My story is not just about bullying and racism but chasing a dream. I'm proof that it can happen if you want something enough.

"I'm inspired by the craziest lady on the planet, Lady Gaga. She sticks up for people whatever their race, their gender, their sexuality – she just wants them to be happy and feel good about themselves.

"It's unbelievable what's happened to me but I'm still a boy from Yorkshire at heart. This is where my roots are and that will never change."

Batista is the first British fighter to be taken under the wing of four-weight world champion Jones – who can see the box office potential.

Batista laughed: "Roy says that everybody in boxing knows about me already. They're thinking 'what is this catastrophe coming into boxing?'

"He thinks I've got 'cash cow' written all over with my image and status. And if I get it right, he believes I can become a superstar."

Anyone interested in joining Batista's team can contact fesbatistaboxing@gmail.com.