Shayne Singleton to make Sky debut

The exciting 22-year-old talent was approached after his destruction of journeyman Sid Razak at the Sports Centre in Oldham on Saturday. And his continual progress in the ring was rewarded with a place on the undercard of the WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title fight between Frankie Gavin and Frenchman Frank Haroche Horta.

That recognition from a distinguished figure inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame means that the ‘Sky’ is literally the limit now for the light welterweight, whose 10th bout will be aired on Box Nation, channel 456, on Friday, October 28th.

“I’m feeling really good now,” said Singleton, who has moved up to number 24 in the British rankings. “I’m well happy. I got approached at the end of the bout to see if I’d fight on one of Frank Warren’s bills in three weeks time. It will be on the undercard of Frankie Gavin’s WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title. I’m over the moon with that, there’s going to be some top lads fighting on that bill.

“It’s at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester. I’m just buzzing about it. That’s what I’ve been wanting to do so I can get seen by other people. It’s my 10th fight and it’s going to be screened on Box Nation. People will start taking notice if I go 10 undefeated.”

His match-up with Birmingham’s Razak was an exhibition, a chance to utilise everything he’d worked on in training. The ‘Ali Shuffle’ even made an appearance in the third round as he grew in confidence. In the bout’s culmination referee Steve Gray scored the fight 40-36 in Singleton’s favour. “It went well, I won every round,” he said. “I just boxed clever. He was strong and wouldn’t stop coming forward. He was in my face all the time which is what I wanted because it meant I could fight on the back foot; that’s what I do best.

“He didn’t worry me in any way. He caught me with a few shots which I probably shouldn’t have been caught with, but you’re always going to get caught in a fight. It was quite comfortable really; I was focussed on my movement and spinning off after throwing a combination.”

And Singleton was quick to recognise the backing from his loyal support. He said: “It was the best feeling I’ve had in nine fights. My following was absolutely amazing. The fight was away from home but they were still making as much noise. I was buzzing off the adrenalin. There’s not many fighters who get support like that.”

But with the night of his most important bout peering over the horizon, it’s straight back into the gym in preparation: “It’s getting really serious now. I’m getting straight back at it. I’ll be back in the gym to keep on top of everything now. When you have a week off, you’re chilling out and not worrying about your diet, it makes it even harder to get back in to it. I don’t want to have to keep breaking through that pain barrier. I want to keep that momentum going and maintain my physique and stamina.”

• Tickets are priced at £30 or you can upgrade to ringside seats for £50. Coach travel, priced at £5, can be organised through Shayne on 07857 476485.