The Naked Juice Company sponsor diabetic pro boxer Muhammad Ali

Wayne Redman from The Naked Juice Company with boxer Muhammad Ali

Rochdale boxer, ‘The Diabetic Kid’ Muhammad Ali has signed a new sponsorship with Littleborough business, The Naked Juice Company.

The company, which has been running for five years, will prove Ali with fresh juice made from fruit and vegetables to help him better his diet.

The Naked Juice Company provides a mail order juice cleanse and meal replacement programme with its juices and smoothies.

Wayne Redman from The Naked Juice Company said: "I'm delighted to be working with Ali and to be able to support a local sportsman. Our cold raw pressed fruit and veg combination juices will supplement his diet and as he is a diabetic, they are great for regulating his blood sugar level allowing him to train better for longer."

Ali made history in September 2018, becoming the first UK boxer with type one diabetes to fight professionally, following a three-year battle against the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC). To date, he has won all six of his professional fights.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/4/sport-news/122190/boxing-historic-victory-debut-for-uks-first-diabetic-boxer

Ali was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was around the age of five, an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood. It requires regular administration of insulin either by injection or by insulin pump.

He began boxing after encouragement from his mum, and began administering his own insulin when he was around 16.