The talented teenage son of Coronation Street legend Phil Middlemiss is torn between careers as a champion boxer or TV star. Alfie Middlemiss, 19, is following in the footsteps of his soap icon dad Phil with his burgeoning acting career - while also rising swiftly up the ranks in the amateur boxing world.
He will be seen starring in the Madame Blanc Mysteries on Channel 5 this Christmas alongside the likes of ex-Corrie star Sally Lindsay and Blackadder icon Tony Robinson. Meanwhile, earlier this year Alfie was crowned national champion at his weight in the England Boxing Championships.
He hopes to be able to combine both his passions for boxing and acting for as long as possible. And his dad Phil, who famously played bookie Des Barnes in Coronation Street in the 1990s, and mum Leanne are both proudly cheering him on in both professions.
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Alfie, from Worsley, won his first TV roles at the tender age of 10 with commercial campaigns for Morrisons and a small role in Emmerdale. He started boxing training at the age of 14 and swiftly discovered a passion and skill for it, training at boxer Jamie Moore's club in Walkden.
Alfie says both boxing and acting careers are going so well that people have started to ask if he will have to choose between them. He laughs: "Everyone says how are you going to get acting roles with bruises all over my face?
"But it's not been a problem so far. People say you're going to have to choose one or the other but at the moment I'm able to juggle both really well. I have to work extremely hard to do both boxing and acting at the level I want to do it.
"There may be a time when I have to choose, but at the moment I'm able to combine and enjoy the best of both worlds."
Dad Phil and mum Leanne have proudly watched his rise in both careers. Phil said: "It’s great that he has more than one string to his bow - his passion for both boxing and acting is extraordinary.
"His discipline and mindset are exceptional and along with his natural talent he has all the attributes to go right to the top."
Alfie has always been interested in sports from a young age - and dad Phil famously placed a bet when he was born that he would one day be England football captain! But Alfie swiftly showed great promise in boxing after taking it up in his early teens.
He says: "I first started with boxing about four years ago, I've always been interested in football and sports. I trained so hard, and climbed up the ladder quite quickly.
"I want to stay amateur for a couple more years, the highlight of my boxing at the moment was going to the England Boxing National Championships after I became North West Champion and becoming National Champion for my weight [Alfie boxes at 60kg which is the equivalent of lightweight at professional level].
"To be number one in England for your weight, it's just surreal."
Alfie praised his parents for their support - saying of his mum: "She's very loud when she comes to the fights, but she doesn't like seeing me bruised up. From the start really they've been super supportive of everything I wanted to do."
He remembers watching dad Phil on TV as a child, when he starred in hit ITV drama Where the Heart Is. He says: "Dad gives me loads of tips, he always does self tapes with me and breaks thing down with me.
"He was in Where the Heart is when I was younger, and I thought it was normal at the time to see my dad on TV, but now I realise what he achieved."
Alfie attended Bridgewater School in Worsley where he achieved three As at A-level. But he decided to turn down a place at university to pursue his boxing career instead.
He says: "I could have gone to university but I chose to do boxing full time, it was a tough decision but I think it was the right one. On the path to where I want to go and I would love to get into the England squad. I know if I train hard I can get there."
Alfie trains for up to four hours a day with boxing training and running to keep him at the highest physical level. He says: "The ultimate goal for me is to be a world champion, that's everyone's aim. If you're not aiming high you're not going to be able to reach your goals."
He combines his boxing training with heading to auditions for film and TV roles and earlier this year jetted out to Malta to film for the new second series of Madame Blanc which kicks off with a Christmas special on Channel 5 on Thursday December 22 at 9pm.
He is signed with agent Nicola Bolton and has been for a raft of high profile TV auditions this year. He said: "It's very exciting at the moment. It was great to film out in Malta for Madame Blanc, I'm in a role connected to Sally Lindsay's character in the Christmas special."
Alfie says that both boxing and acting have given him great focus and determination from a young age. He said: "A lot of kids now have not got focus. I've always had that determination to be competitive, you've got to make sacrifices to get where you want to go."
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