Ricky Summers is in high spirits as he looks ahead to his English Light Heavyweight clash with Dan Azeez next month writes Noah Abrahams.
Digger challenges Azeez for his English strap in Bolton on the 17th April, in a fight that also doubles up as a British Title Eliminator.
In what will be his first bout since beating Raimonds Sniedze in December 2019, Summers has been out of the ring for over a year. Eager to get back to work, the Black Country boxer said that he’s “feeling great” ahead of his return.
“My weight’s on point and my training is going well,” he told bcb-prmotions.com.
“You always get a bit tired at this stage of camp, but barring that, it’s been great.
“I’m raring to go and I’ve stayed in the gym since my last fight.
“A few offers have popped up in the last year. I was meant to fight Craig Richards before he fought Shakan Pitters. Craig had a shoulder injury which he recovered from and he went on to beat Shak.
“With the pandemic and stuff, nothing else has been going on.”
The longest Summers has ever gone without an opponent, the 33-year-old said that the Covid-forced break was “a blessing in disguise” as he reflected on a difficult year.
“It’s been frustrating,” he said.
“On the other hand though, I’m now with a new team at BCB and we’ve had more time to work together.
“I am massively motivated to win against Azeez.
“You can’t afford to lose in boxing. When you lose in boxing, you’ll be knocked so far down the ladder.
“There’s pressure in every fight, but I’m going to be the best Ricky Summers and I’ll make the most of it.
“This is a must win fight for me and I will go out there and pull it off. We’ve got a good game plan.
“I’ve watched Azeez come up and he’s a good fighter.
“I’ve got the tools to beat him and I’ll prove that next month.”
With a month to go until fight night, Summers expressed how much it would mean to hand Azeez his first defeat.
“It would mean the world to me,” he added.
“When I first set out as a boxer, my dream was to become the English champion.
“Fighting for the title now, I can achieve that dream.
“Obviously I came up short for the British title, but this fight with Azeez could open up the doors to big things.
“Beating an opponent in the top five in the country, it could put me up there.
“It’s a big fight for us both. If I win this, then I’m one fight away from my dream of becoming British champion.
“It’s every British fighter’s dream to become British champion.
“I’m ready to get the win and I’d like to thank my team at BCB and all my sponsors but in particular, I just want to say thank you to Nigel Porter
“Nigel is one of my main sponsors and he has sponsored me through thick and thin.
“Nigel has always stuck by me and believed in me.”
