BOXING Buddie Gary Adam is taking on his most deadly opponent ever in his latest fight . . .by squaring up to ruthless Taliban warriors.

The 23-year-old soldier is in the Afghan warzone on his second tour of the crisis-hit country.

The Gallowhill lad is a corporal with the Argyll and Sutherland highlanders but for the last few years he has been winning praise for his punches rather than his soldiering skills.

Ranked as one of the Army’s up-and-coming boxing talents, the lightweight scrapper has won four of his six fights so far.However, the former St Andrew’s Academy kid has had to hang up his gloves for the time being while he focuses on delivering a knock-out blow to Taliban insurgents after linking up with B Company in the Afghan dessert.

But Gary admits that taking a flurry of blows in the boxing ring is good preparation for the task ahead in one of the most dangerous battle grounds places on earth.

“I suppose being brave enough to step into a ring and going toe-to-toe with another fighter shows you have got the right kind of character to be a soldier,” explained Gary. “Both take a lot of guts.

“I really enjoy my boxing. I have had six fights so far and won four.

“It keeps me fit and one I hope to make it into the Army’s boxing team.”

But those ambitions will have wait until after Gary slugs it out on his four-month tour of the deadly Helmand Province.

Gary’s first trip to Afghanistan saw him take up a vital role in a Javelin patrol.

Working alongside troops armed with the Javelin rocket launchers, he was part of a special army hit squad tasked with taking out enemies lurking in hard-to-hit bunkers.

This time, however, the father of one – who has had to kiss goodbye to three-year-old daughter Brooke while he goes off to fight for his country – has been promoted to a section comander.

In charge of seven other soldiers, it will be up to Gary to make sure he and his men get out of any scrapes alive.

He said: “I’m a section comander now and, at 23, I suppose I am quite young to be in this position.

“In years gone by, you would have to be a lot older to get to this sort of position.

“But if you look across the army, the section commanders are all starting to get a lot younger and that is because of the training we are getting.

“It’s also because we have been involved in Afghanistan. Being out there makes you grow up. It makes you a better soldier. It is such a harsh environment it gets the best out of you.

“As a section commander, I am responsible for taking my men out on patrol.

“If we get into any contact, my job is to make sure they are all okay. It’s my job to decide what to do and when to do it.”

For a lad in his early 20s, that is a tremendous responsibility. Gary, however, thrives on it.

He added: “Does going out to Afghanistan worry me? Not really.

“I have been before so I know what to expect this time. If you get into any scrapes, your training kicks in and sees you through it.

“You have got to be confident in those situations. If you are not confident, you are not any use.

“I’m a section commander. If I am worried, then the guys beside me will get worried. I have got to instil confidence in them.”

Leaving Brooke, girlfriend Chantal Bennett, 21, and mum Lesley behind in Paisley is the hardest part of going on tour with the army, according to Gary – who has been to countries such as Kenya, Chile, Belize and Bosnia in his time with the Army.

Now he’s already looking forward to his March return.

He said: “The hardest thing about being away is missing your family. It can be really tough.

“Coming home is great and that is what keeps you going while you are away.

“Being in a place like Afghanistan is life-changing. You look at life in a different way once you come home. The things that used to annoy me don’t any longer because I realise how insignificant they are.

“On my first tour, we lost one soldier from our unit. It was terrible and affected everyone. It was terrible for morale at first, but then it brought everyone together.

“Everyone misses their family when they are out there so everyone mucks in together and we try to have a laugh as much as possible. But it is tough.”

Mum Lesley hailed her son’s bravery and said: “I’m so proud of what Gary is doing.”