Mark Cleary’s life-long dream will be realized Saturday night at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

The 32-year-old member of The Scrapyard Boxing Club will be making his pro debut in a middleweight (165-pound) bout with Oakville’s Ryan Young, who is 2-0 at this level, both by knockouts, and four years his junior.

“It was something I wanted to do as a kid,” Cleary said. “Ever since I was a teenager I wanted to be a pro. I have made it here now I want to stay here. I hope to make Young 2-1 (laughs). ’’

The fight became a reality only two weeks ago and Cleary, who didn’t know much about Young, worked hard on getting his weight down from 178 pounds, combining a strict diet with rigid training under the watchful eye of Scrapyard head coach Kerry Hendren, Al Wilson and Dwight Kelusky.

“It was a better class for me,” Cleary said. “It has taken a lot of commitment and hard work.’’

He received his pro licence in January after undergoing medicals in December and applying to the athletics commission. He got into 16 amateur bouts, the same number as Young, as an amateur and was 8-8.

Pro will be a different atmosphere for Cleary, with four rounds instead of three and fighting before a larger crowd. The seven-bout card is presented by United Promotions.

“I will be focussed and stay with what he worked for me,” Cleary said. “I know it will be different but I plan to stay calm, do what I do and not make mistakes. I learned a lot from my losses. I can adjust when I have to.’’

Cleary and his coaches will head to Toronto on Friday for weigh-ins and preparation for the Saturday affair.

“They have all been great to me,’’ Cleary said.

Cleary trains just about every day and that includes cardio in the morning before heading to the club in the evening. He also works as a personal trainer at Goodlife Fitness.

Cleary has gone through tough times in his life, including serving jail time and having connections to a biker gang, substance abuse and criminal behaviour.

“I’m in a good spot now,” he said. “I have received a lot of support from my family and from those at the club.’’

Tickets for his big night are available for $30 at Body Life Nutrition in Portage Place. About 100 people from here are expected to go down.