Shayne ready to write next chapter
The protagonist, forced to relinquish his treasured English title after out-growing the light welterweight division, makes his highly-anticipated return to Colne Muni where he embarks on his first contest as a welterweight against Welshman Leon Findlay.
The 24-year-old, who still boasts an unblemished record from 15 contests, had been scheduled to face Carl Jenkinson, but the International Masters light middleweight belt holder withdrew from the show.
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Hide AdFindlay comes in to the fight on the back of a weekend win after forcing a second round stoppage against James Lilley at Oceana in Swansea, but Singleton is confident of overcoming his opponent after studying footage of that contest.
“I’m happy with that because he’s got a winning record,” he said. “I’ve seen some footage of him on YouTube and he comes to fight. He wants to brawl and he knocked his last opponent out at the weekend.
“I’ll stick to my usual style of boxing on the back foot, but I’m going to keep to the centre of the ring and command it more. I’m hoping to take it to him later on in the fight after using my movement to counter him. I don’t want to go toe-to-toe with him; he’s a similar style of fighter to Curtis Woodhouse.”
Singleton, who will be returning to a packed, vociferous arena, added: “I can’t wait for it. I’m feeling in great shape and really strong. I feel stronger than I’ve ever been which I should be because I’m fighting at a stone heavier. I’ll be looking to get the first four rounds out of the way then step it up in the last two. I’ll keep getting stronger as the fight goes on.
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Hide Ad“The ambition is still there. I’m still wanting the big fights. There’s some top fighters in there and it’s a serious division but I’ve improved massively over the last six to eight months. I’ve got the strength and power now to add to my boxing ability. I feel much more confident now because I can adapt to different styles.
“It’s going to be noisy. I’ve sold about 300 tickets. I’m looking forward to going back there and getting back among that atmosphere. I keep getting butterflies in my stomach thinking about my return and the atmosphere.”