Michael Hunter admits he cannot wait to defend his British super-bantamweight title against Sean Hughes.
The unbeaten Hartlepool star defends the crown he won by stopping Mark Payne last year for the second time on home turf against Hughes at the Borough Hall on Friday night.
Hunter 20-0-1 (8) is a former standout amateur who won two ABA finals in three years in the late 1990s.
The former bricklayer also stopped current European featherweight king Nicky Cook in 1997 to become the then national schoolboy champion.
Since turning over in July 2000 Hunter has had to bide his time for recognition - building his reputation mainly on the road.
In only his eighth pro fight he stopped Sunderland warrior John Barnes to win the British Northern Area super-bantamweight title, and followed that up a year later by unanimously outpointing Frankie De Milo to become WBF super-bantamweight champion.
Hunter was forced to hand back his WBF belt in order to fight Payne for the vacant British crown in April of last year, and thrilled fans by stopping Payne in seven action-packed rounds.
He followed up that win by besting Wladimir Borov before stopping Marc Callaghan (a boxer Hunter drew with back in 2002 - his sole blemish) to retain his British belt in a contest that was recognised by trade paper Boxing News as among the best British fights of last year.
On Friday he faces Pontefract stylist Hughes - who has only lost once in 10 starts.
Hughes is the current Central Area super-bantamweight ruler, whose sole defeat came against Stephen Foster in an English title tilt at featherweight just over a year ago.
He rebounded from that win by decisioning Christian Laight last October, but Hunter insists he is in no mood to let his title travel back down the A1 to Yorkshire.
"I do feel very good at the moment, I'm strong and fit and just counting down the days now to tell you the truth.
"He's a southpaw and he's dead awkward to hit so I know I'm going to have to be at my best.
"But there is no way I'm letting anyone come and take my title from me here in Hartlepool."
Hunter has enjoyed some quality sparring with rugged Mongolian super-featherwight Choi Tseveenpurev in the lead up to Friday's bout - and is hoping another victory can secure a crack at current European super-bantamweight champion and big domestic rival Esham Pickering.
Hunter continued: "I have met Esham a few times and he is a class act.
"I know it's a fight he fancies and I am desperate to box him this year so hopefully we can get something sorted out.
"That fight should be a belter as he can dig a bit and I just love a good old-fashioned tear up, but I'm not really looking beyond Friday to be honest."
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