NICK Blackwell is searching for some respite from the all-encompassing world of boxing and is hoping that a home away from home could be just the ticket.

The 25-year-old, who started boxing in the white collar scene as a teenager and had his first professional bout in 2009, defended his British middleweight title for the second time last weekend.

In the build-up to his initial British title victory over John Ryder in May, Trowbridge’s Blackwell upped sticks and began training under Gary Lockett in Cardiff, where he stays in a hotel during the week.

But ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell admits that he’s looking for a way to take flight from the bubble of the boxing world and, after recently discovering a passion for surfing, is hoping that the coast can provide him with an escape.

“My mate did an instructor course down in Cornwall and asked me to go down a do a bit of surfing – I love being in the water,” said Blackwell.

“I went down, got addicted to it and I love it now.

“It’s just something to take my mind off boxing. When you’re doing boxing every day 24/7, it gets a bit much.

“It’s nice to get away and chill out. You’re still getting fit but nobody wants to talk about boxing.

“I am trying to buy a place down in Cornwall actually. I’ll stay in a hotel in Cardiff Monday to Friday but then I’ve got somewhere for some chilled out time down in Cornwall.

“It’s nice in Trowbridge and I’ll still be there a lot but everybody wants to say to me ‘Nick, how’s boxing?’ – it’s never ‘Nick, how are you?’ “I train Monday to Friday and talk about boxing all the time and when it comes to the weekend, I just want to relax. I don’t want to talk about it the whole weekend.”