Carlisle's best-ever boxer has his sights set on regaining global glory.

Former world champion Charlie Shepherd is not, however, planning a return to the ring - although he's desperate to deliver a knock-out blow.

The city fitness coach, 46, has taken delivery of a certificate that confirms his place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of push-ups in an hour - a staggering 2,325.

But it's a total that's already been beaten by a sportsman in Switzerland - with 2,392 - sending Shepherd back into training to regain his crown.

And the signs from his gruelling preparations are encouraging.

“It was just the fact, when I was boxing, it was part of my training. I used to do sets of 500 then,” Shepherd said.

“I used to do a couple of thousand every night, as part of my training, so it’s just something I have kept on doing.

“In the gym, I have guys doing push-ups, pull-ups and dips, which are all body weight exercises and I just looked into it.

“I just thought ‘I wonder what the world record for the most push-ups is?’ I looked at it and I thought ‘I can do that six days a week and twice on a Sunday.’

“It kind of snowballed from there. Once I have got something in my head, I go for it.”

Speaking about when he received the certificate to confirm his place in the world record books, he added: “I was really pleased.

“But I am going to go and break it again because it has been beaten since. I broke it in Carlisle, so I brought a world title to Carlisle and I’ve now also broken a Guinness World Record in Carlisle.

“So now, I want to go and beat it again, so that it doesn’t ever get beaten again, ever.”

Shepherd, who runs Four Belt Fitness on Raffles Avenue, admits Carlisle and Cumbria has always been a big part of his life.

Indeed, the highlight of his boxing career came in the county when he defeated American Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson in 1999 to capture the IBO World championship in arguably one of the biggest nights of boxing Cumbria has witnessed.

And the former world super-featherweight and Commonwealth champion says Cumbria has always been a big area for boxing, with Carlisle boxing club Border City ABC seeing two of their boxers in Jamie Rowland and Brodie Stephenson become national champions last year.

Shepherd adds: “It [Cumbria] is a boxing hotbed. I remember when I boxed in the Sands [against Johnson], it was sold out in something like 15 minutes.

“The boxing following in Cumbria is fantastic and second to none. The fans have always been awesome.

“Carlisle is my home. I moved away for a bit but I’m back now, I’ve been back for about a year.

“Everything in my life is based around Carlisle and Cumbria. I won my world title in Carlisle and broke the Guinness World Record in Carlisle. I always wanted to put Cumbria on the sporting map.”

Shepherd enjoyed a really successful boxing career and has since been involved in numerous sporting events where he has met the good and the great in sport.

He will be involved in a night with Barry McGuigan, along with Olympic medallist Robin Reid in May, while he was involved with an event with Sugar Ray Leonard last November.

So, where does this achievement rank in Shepherd’s career? He says: “I have won Commonwealth and world boxing titles. But I have retired now, so I still feel it is a big achievement for myself.”

Looking ahead to what the future might hold, Shepherd adds: “I won four titles during my career.

“When I break it again, I will be a two-time world record holder and we’ll see what else I’ve got in store after that.”