By Terence Dooley

Edinburgh’s Lewis Benson has decided to take a risk by putting his perfect, 10-0 (2 KOs), record on the line later this month when the Commonwealth Games 2014 participant meets fellow undisputed prospect and former Prizefighter: The Welterweights winner Johnny Coyle, who has an 18-0-1 record with two KOs.

Benson has met and defeated modest opposition thus far—only Mikhail Avakian had a winning record going in—but he has told Susan Egelstaff of Glasgow’s Evening Times that he has been able to enjoy a proper training camp and the time was right to take the plunge against Coyle on June 30 to see how far he can go in boxing.

“I feel great—this is a massive opportunity for me but one I'm very confident about,” he said.  “This is the best shape I've ever been in and four weeks out, I've never been this focused or determined.  I need to be the best I've ever been to make sure I win this fight convincingly.  This will definitely be my hardest fight yet, by a long way.  But the way things have been going in the gym, I have reason to be confident.”

The 26-year-old’s eight-threes test takes place on the undercard of Michael Conlan’s meeting with Adeilson Dos Santos in Belfast. 

The show is being shown on BT Sport in the UK and Benson decided to hedge his bets and go for it in the hope of announcing himself to a wider TV audience.

He added: “When I beat Johnny Coyle, my name will be out there and all my fights will be big.  Doors will open for me when I win this fight so I have every incentive to make sure I win. 

"I'm thinking that this is a stepping-stone to a British title as my next fight.  I've been building towards this for almost three years.  This was the right time for me to risk everything.”

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