Ipswich Witches captain Danny King gives Sky Sports an insight into the life of a professional Speedway rider. Speedway is hardly the kind of sport you can have after-school clubs for. You cant just nip to the park, jump on a bike and have a whizz around with your mates.The nature of the sport, and motorsport in general, makes it a difficult sport to get into as a youngster. Speak to most riders and it is something passed on down the generations and many follow a similar route to Dannys into the sport. Speaking to Sky Sports, King said: My dad got us into it. I think he had a go when he was a kid, but his parents couldnt afford it and I think it was his dream to get us into it - and it went from there really.I got into grass track, which is similar to speedway, when I was six. We did that until we were old enough to go to speedway because you cant race speedway until you are 15 or you couldnt when I was younger anyway.So we did grass track until the age of 11 or 12 really, then we started to do a bit of both. When I was 15, I went into full-time speedway. Many speedway riders start off racing grasstrack A unique part of the sport means that the vast majority of riders are paid based on performance, rather than a set contractual fee every week, like many other sports. As a youngster starting out it can be tough financially, with the cost of bikes and equipment adding up, it is tough to balance the books, and many riders take on other jobs. It is tough but I had to work as well as race, said King. I had a full-time job and I did that until I was good enough to go professional and earn enough to do speedway on its own, but I always worked up until then.It was difficult balancing the two jobs but luckily I had very understanding bosses and I took it as holiday when I needed to. The majority of speedway riders are paid based on performance A lot of the time it was only an hour here and there, because I could work til three oclock and then still get to most places to race at the meeting in the evening. It was a bit of give and take, I worked extra hours if I had to, but as long as I could go early for my speedway!Once up and running in the sport, the more successful you are the more hectic your schedule becomes. The former British U18 Champion rides at the top level in Britain and Denmark and the second division in Polands strong speedway pyramid.He has also rode in Swedens top-flight, meaning that despite grappling with a 500cc bike for a living, the travelling can sometimes be even more gruelling.When we are in full swing we are busy, said King. It depends on what leagues you are doing, but you have Sweden on Tuesday, Denmark on Wednesday, Poland Sunday and England every other day in between.You could have a week of Sunday Poland, Monday Wolverhampton, Tuesday Sweden, Wednesday Denmark, Thursday Ipswich, Friday Coventry - and so on, but then you might have a slower week so it comes in dribs and drabs. Speedway riders face a hectic schedule during the season A lot of travel organisation needs to be done as the riders jet around Europe, adding to an already busy lifestyle, but the 29-year-old prefers to deal with this side of the job himself, instead of involving an agent.I do it all myself but thats because I like doing it myself, its something I enjoy doing, he said. I like to know where Im at and I am in control of it. A lot of the time it is difficult and you need to work out is it best to go from here to here or straight there?, so obviously if there was another person Id always be constantly on the phone checking.Last season it was Dannys dedicated mechanical teams task to make sure that all the equipment found its way across Europe, meaning a van can become a second home in the world of speedway.And with life on the road during the season, it can be tough for professional athletes to maintain a regime and diet, but King does all he can to maintain the highest standards.Obviously we are racing so much so you dont have time to go to the gym 24/7 but obviously it is important when you are not racing to keep fit and get plenty of rest, he said.The diet is another hard thing, I always try and eat healthily as after a meeting it is late at night and the chances of getting anything healthy are slim! So that is part of the preparation, a nice healthy late lunch because I dont eat before a meeting and if you eat too early you get hungry by seven! So about two oclock on the day I will have some food. Injuries do not put King off the sport he loves When the riders are racing they are at their happiest, but there is always a downside to any sport and speedway is no different. The dangerous nature of speedway means riders will almost certainly suffer some serious injuries along the way but the Witches rider says it does not change a riders mentality towards the sport.He said: I think when you do something like this sport you understand that its a dangerous sport and injuries happen and I dont know any speedway rider that has gone through his career without getting injured. Its that kind of sport and you have that mentality. You accept it and if it happens it happens.As if injury was not hard enough to take, if youre not riding youre not earning in this sport and there is no chance of easing your way back into this sport after injury.King said: Obviously we have insurance, but we dont earn any money so its very important to have good insurance and good background with good physios and things like that, so you can get back on the bike as soon as possible.Im sure you could speak to some clubs and theyd have connections but mostly you sort that out yourself. Also See: Riders view: Off-season Riders view: race day Lynn Swann Youth Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. 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Evander Holyfield, the only four-time heavyweight world titleholder in boxing history and one of the most popular and exciting fighters of his time, is one of three newcomers to this years ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame.Also on the ballot for the first time in the modern category, which is for fighters whose last bout was no earlier than 1989, are a pair of popular former three-division titleholders with all-action styles: Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Johnny Tapia.Full members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians began receiving their ballots this week. They are due back by Oct. 31, with results of the voting due to be announced in December.Those elected will be enshrined June 11 during the 28th annual induction ceremonies at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. To be eligible, fighters must not have boxed for at least five years.Electors can vote for up to five candidates, but only the top three will be elected. The three newcomers, all in their first year of eligibility, appear to be the likely candidates who will earn selection.The Real Deal Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KOs), who fought from 1984 to 2011, is as close to a first-ballot lock as it gets, thanks to his record for heavyweight titles and a series of epic mega-fights against other Hall of Famers, including an all-time great trilogy with Riddick Bowe and two upset victories against Mike Tyson, the second of which famously cost Holyfield a chunk of his ear when Tyson bit it off in a disqualification loss.Im honored, Holyfield said after being informed Tuesday night by ESPN.com that he was on the ballot. What can you say when youve done what Ive done? It do speak for itself. I had a good amateur career, became the first undisputed cruiserweight champ of the world and then undisputed heavyweight champ. I fought them all. I fought everyone who was the best at my time of boxing and did real well. If youre the best, youre going to be in the Hall of Fame.I fought everybody. I didnt make up excuses on why I shouldnt fight this guy or that guy. I fought everyone I was supposed to. Im glad I played by the rules and became the champ. I fought and did my very best.After claiming a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, Holyfield raced to a cruiserweight world title in his 12th professional fight, winning a 15-round split decision against future Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a bruising 1986 battle that remains one of the greatest in division history.Holyfield unified two cruiserweight belts by third-round knockout of Ricky Parkey in 1987. Holyfield demolished Qawi later that year in the fourth round of a rematch and then knocked out Carlos De Leon in the eighth round in 1988 to claim a third belt and become the first undisputed champion in cruiserweight history.Holyfield then moved up to heavyweight, where he really made his mark. In 1990, he knocked out Tyson conqueror James Buster Douglas in the third round to win the undisputed championship. Among his three successful defenses were decisions against aging legends George Foreman and Larry Holmes, but Holyfield lost the title by decision to Bowe in their first hellacious bout in 1992. A year later, Holyfield regained the title by outpointing Bowe in the rematch.In his next fight, Holyfield lost the title to Michael Moorer by decision and, two fights later, got knocked out in the eighth round of the rubber match against Bowe. Many thought Holyfield was finished when he got a shot at Tyson, who had regained a piece of the title, in 1996. Holyfield was a huge underdog but stopped Tyson in the 11th round of a tremendous fight. Seven months later, they met again, and Holyfield won by third-round disqualification when Tyson melted down and bit off a chunk of his ear. Then Holyfield knocked out Moorer, who had regained a belt, in the eighth round to unify two titles.?In one of the biggest fights in heavyweight history, Holyfield received a controversial draw in his 1999 showdown with fellow champion Lennox Lewis for the undisputed title. Most had Lewis winning. Lewis did get the decision when they met in an immediate rematch later that year.In August 2000, Holyfield notched his last big win when he outpointed John Ruiz to win back a piece of the title for the unprecedented fourth time.Holyfield fought for another decade and got two more title shots, but he suffered decision losses to Sultan Ibragimov in 2007 and Nikolay Valuev in 2008, albeit in a fight many thoughht Holyfield won.dddddddddddd.I became four-time heavyweight champ of the world, said Holyfield, who was 18-9-2 with 10 knockouts against titleholders and Hall of Famers. Would have been five if they gave me the decision I deserved against the Russian guy.Barrera (67-7, 44 KOs), known as the Baby-Faced Assassin, is one of the greatest fighters in Mexicos rich boxing history. He went 21-4 with 12 KOs in world title fights and won titles at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight during his 1989-2011 career. He was also 16-7 with 10 KOs against titleholders and Hall of Famers.He won his historic trilogy against bitter rival and countryman Erik Morales, who will be eligible for the Hall of Fame next year. Although Barrera lost the first junior featherweight unification bout by split decision in the 2000 fight of the year, he outpointed Morales to win a featherweight title in the 2002 rematch and then took a junior lightweight title from him in the 2004 rubber match.Barrera also beat the faded Tapia by decision in 2002, but his biggest win came when, as a heavy underdog, he won a clear decision against Hall of Famer Naseem Hamed in 2001. Barrera later lost a pair of fights to Manny Pacquiao and one to Juan Manuel Marquez before winning his final two bouts and walking away to a career in boxing broadcasting for Mexican network Azteca.Tapia (59-5-2, 30 KOs), who led a troubled life of addiction before his death at age 45 in 2012, still managed to win five world titles at junior bantamweight, bantamweight and featherweight during his 1988-2011 career. He put on many entertaining fights despite his constant personal turmoil, going 11-3 with two knockouts against Hall of Famers and titleholders. Many consider him the best junior bantamweight in the history of the weight class.He lost 3? years of his career in the early 1990s while suspended over cocaine use but came back to win his first world title in 1994, knocking out Henry Martinez in the 11th round for a vacant junior bantamweight belt. Tapia made 13 defenses, including the biggest win of his career -- a decision in a unification bout with bitter crosstown rival Danny Romero that was so divisive in their community that it wound up being held in Las Vegas because of security concerns in their hometown.In 1998, Tapia beat Nana Konadu for a bantamweight title but lost it to Paulie Ayala by disputed decision in the 1999 fight of the year. Tapia rebounded to win another bantamweight belt in his next fight, outpointing Jorge Elicier Julio in 2000 before losing another close decision later in the year in a non-title rematch with Ayala. In 2002, when Tapia was past his prime, he outpointed Manuel Medina to win a featherweight belt.The holdovers on the 30-man modern ballot are Yuri Arbachakov, Ayala, Nigel Benn, Sot Chitalada, Donald Curry, Chris Eubank, Leo Gamez, Genaro Hernandez, Julian Jackson, Santos Laciar, Rocky Lockridge, Miguel Happy Lora, James Buddy McGirt, Henry Maske, Darius Michalczewski, Sung-Kil Moon, Moorer, Orzubek Gussie Nazarov, Sven Ottke, Vinny Pazienza, Gilberto Roman, Gianfranco Rosi, Samuel Serrano, Meldrick Taylor, Fernando Vargas, Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. and Ratanapol Sor Vorapin.Candidates will also be elected in the observer, non-participant and old-timer categories.Puerto Rican great Esteban DeJesus (58-5, 33 KOs), the late former lightweight champion from the late 1970s, is perhaps the most notable name on the 40-person old-timer ballot, which is for fighters whose last bout was no earlier than 1943 and no later than 1988. One will be elected.The two newcomers to the 30-person observer ballot are well known to boxing fans: Showtime broadcasters Barry Tompkins and Steve Farhood, who partner on the ShoBox: The New Generation series. But Tompkins also had a long run as the blow-by-blow announcer for HBO during the 1980s and called numerous big fights. Farhood has worked as an analyst on every fight since ShoBox debuted in 2001. A noted historian, Farhood founded the old KO magazine in 1980 and was editor-in-chief of The Ring magazine from 1989 to 1997.On the 35-person non-participant ballot -- three will be elected by a panel of international historians -- the most notable addition is famed ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr., who died in 1992. His son, Jimmy Lennon Jr., one of todays most famous ring announcers, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013. ' ' '