Peterborough property developer Rob Moore is aiming for a knockout blow in charity boxing match

A leading property developer in Peterborough is hoping to land a £100,000 plus knockout blow when he takes part in a charity boxing fight.

Rob Moore (44), co-founder of Progressive Property, in Cygnet Park, Hampton, which owns hundreds of properties in Peterborough, is to square up to his arch rival, West Midlands based developer Samuel Leeds.

The so-called Clash of the Property Titans will take place over three rounds at the Brentwood Centre in Essex on July 1.

Tickets are still available and can be bought at the fight’s own website moorevleeds.com

The bet came about during a podcast when Mr Leeds recalled his rival had implied that he could take on and beat Mr Leeds in a fight.

He asked: “I wonder if you’d be prepared to put your money where your mouth is?”

Mr Moore said: “Are you calling me out for a fight? Yes, I accept – and why don’t we make a bet? £50,000?”

Afterwards, Mr Moore told the Peterborough Telegraph: “I have never boxed before but I did do some martial arts in my early 20s.

"But he knew that when he called me out. He has a white collar boxing badge and is a lot bigger than me – so it’s probably a fairly even match up!

"He has a small property business and is a bit younger and less experienced than me and I think he called me out as a chance to try and catch up a bit.”

While the focus of Mr Moore’s working life has been the intensely competitive world of property development – he owns 360 properties in the city – combat in the boxing ring is a new and perhaps less appealing challenge but one for which he is determined to be fighting fit.

He said: “Am I looking forward to getting in a boxing ring in front of 1,600 people and getting punched in the face?

"I’ve no regrets and I’ve never thought of quitting but there have been highs and lows.

He said: “But I am taking it very seriously and I'm training very hard and making sure I am very prepared.

"I want to put on a great show and win and be safe.

"I’ve been training for about 20 weeks so far and I’m training 11 times a week and my coach is AJ’s Boxing Gym in Peterborough.

Mr Moore said: “The highs are that I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. We’ve got just a handful of tickets of the 1,600 left, so considering we’re not Jake Paul and Tommy Fury, we’ve done a good job in filling a venue

“We have captured the attention of a lot of people and 10 of my staff are fighting on the undercard and we have created a great team spirit and togetherness.

“I think doing hard challenging things in the end makes you feel good about yourself.

He added: "And when I win – that will be the biggest high.

"My goal is to raise £130,000, which is the bet plus the proceeds from the event.

"I have my own charity, the Rob Moore Foundation, to help young and under-privileged people start meaningful businesses to change the world.”