The Penge punch picker is flying up the world ratings – ranked sixth by the WBO and seventh by the IBF – and with seven of his last nine victims failing to finish, the stylish south Londoner has finally added potency to his purity.

Self belief was coursing through the 28 year old champ’s veins when he spoke to Glynn Evans about his forthcoming first title defence against Colne’s Shayne ‘The Pain’ Singleton on Frank Warren’s monster Cardiff promotion next month.

Last time out, you destroyed France’s former European light-welter challenger Alex Lepelley in the seventh of a WBO European title defence. How did you assess your performance?

Overall, I was happy.  I got rounds in the bag against a tough opponent with a good record who had only been stopped once before.

The WBO European is a belt I’m proud of but, personally, I’d have preferred to have defended my British. I want to win the Lonsdale outright as quickly as possible.

Going from the high profile title fight against (Sam) Eggington in his back yard, to a routine fight was difficult. I trained just as hard but, mid rounds, Al (Smith, his coach) told me to stop treating it as a spar.

So it was good to prove I could jump on an opponent and go through the gears. I was pleased with the punch variety I used to get Lepelley out of there. Not bad from someone who supposedly can’t punch!

Motivation certainly shouldn’t be an issue on October 22nd when you make the maiden defence of your British title.

Nah, psychologically I’m right ‘on it’ with my British title at stake. I desperately want the (Lonsdale) Belt outright so the title defences mean everything. I know every challenger will desperately try to take what’s mine so I’ll be training really hard.

Now I’m British champion, my confidence is sky high.  I’ve already had some great sparring – I’ve just done a 12 rounder - and we’ve still three more weeks to get our tactics ‘spot on’.

How do you feel about returning to the Welsh capital?

The Welsh fans clearly love their boxing and I got a great reception – in the town centre as well as in the arena – which put me in high spirits before the fight.  I’m really looking forward to going back there. My London fans are also keen to see my first British title defence. The tickets are flying out.

What do you know of challenger Shayne Singleton?

To be honest, I’ve not seen a great deal of him. I’m aware he got stopped in five by Sam Eggington but that was a while ago. No doubt there’ll be pressures to do a quicker number on him than Sam managed but styles make fights.

Shayne’s got a good record (23-1) and some good wins like Curtis Woodhouse and Adil Anwar. He’s got fast hands, good movement and, given the notice he’s had, we expect he’ll bring his A game.

But I’ve seen it all before; those that come to rough me up, those that come to run away. I’m ready for anything. If Shayne gives me the charge, I’ll box his ears off. If he picks and pokes, happy days. No domestic welter can outbox me. I should definitely be stopping him.

Everyone seems to view me as a long strip of p*** they can just rough up. Wrong! To get to my ‘puny’ body you have to get past my jab and it feels like eating a right hand. Once they’ve munched on a few of them they all quickly change their tune.

You talk about your desire to assume permanent custody of the Lonsdale Belt and, if you come through against Singleton, you would require two more wins. Who might the challengers be?

One thing I have to stress is that all these numpties who slag me off on social media, are slung right to the back of the queue. Shayne hasn’t slagged me off at all and I respect him hugely for that. That’s why he got his chance.

I’d like to tidy up my record against Frankie Gavin because I still believe that I won our first fight. But I’ll not go chasing him. He got knocked out by Kell Brook and now he’s got nothing. He needs me more than I need him. I learned from that fight and moved on.

Dale Evans is fighting Mike Towell in an eliminator this weekend so whoever wins that will be in the frame and I’d honour Eggington with a rematch. He took his defeat like a man, no moaning, no excuses. Big respect for that.

So what treats do you intend delivering for the Welsh fans next month?

I’ll be hoping to deliver another strong, solid showing. The quality of performance in Cardiff is almost as important as the result if I’m to force myself into the frame against the big names.

In camp, I’ve been working hard on winning all the rounds convincingly rather than just edging them which is probably where I fell short against Frankie Gavin. I need to prove these domestic level types don’t deserve to be in a ring with me. I have to show I can get them out of there.

Reigning British welterweight king Bradley Skeete may boast a black belt in awkwardness but challenger Shayne Singleton claims that he’s seen it all before, writes Glynn Evans.

Last time out, the stylist from Colne, Lancashire mastered impossibly unconventional Leeds contender Adil Anwar, dropping him twice, slicing him in round six before forcing the referee to terminate in round eight.

That mint performance at the Manchester Arena in May earned the 27 year old the vacant WBC International Silver strap and, more significantly, the right to confront master craftsman Skeete for the domestic title at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on October 22nd.

‘Just like Anwar, Skeete’s very awkward and bounces around....but the outcome is gonna be exactly the same,’ predicts skilful Shayne, who has won 23 of 24, with eight stoppages.

‘Usually I prefer fighters coming on to me but the Anwar fight proved I can adapt and showed my power’s improving.

 ‘Winning a British title would mean everything to me. After winning the Masters, the English and WBC (International) Silver, this is my world title. I couldn’t give two monkeys about anything that happens thereafter.

‘I’m really looking forward to coming to Cardiff. Staying away for a few nights will be something different and, though it’s a far away from Colne, I’m expecting to bring a good 150-200 fans with me.’

Since debuting in August 2009, the Karl Ince coached contender has made steady progress beneath the TV radar, featuring predominantly on manager-promoter Steve Wood’s small hall productions in his native north-west.

And speedy Shayne insists that he has improved immeasurably since suffering the solitary stain on his slate 18 months ago – a fifth round stoppage defeat to future British and Commonwealth king Sam Eggington at Hull’s Ice Arena.

‘It’s definitely my time now,’ insists Singleton who is indebted to sponsors Nightfox, BounceBack Safety Surfaces, AJ Wood Ltd and Wellock for their support in allowing him to pursue his dreams full-time.

‘I actually thought it was ‘my time’ 18 months back but lost my head and came a cropper with Eggington. I did the weight all wrong and didn’t have the mental control back then. Whenever he caught me, I wanted to hit him back ten times harder immediately. Since then, I’ve developed my ‘man strength’ and I think about things more.

‘I’ve come through three 10 rounders, including easily my hardest fight against Curtis Woodhouse to win the English title when nobody gave me a chance. I answered a lot of questions to others and myself that night.’

And the Burnley born boxer will step into the British championship ring boasting almost 20 years seasoning on his CV.

 He explains: ‘I first became interested (in boxing) watching the big fights on TV with me Dad. To be honest, I were a bit of a ‘loon’ as a kid – way too much energy - so when I was eight he drove me to the Sandygate amateur gym half an hour away.

‘It was my school teacher’s who first called me ‘Shayne the Pain’! The training tired me out and kept me on track, helped straighten me out.

‘I stayed at Sandygate for over 10 years and  won 28 of 35 amateur fights but never got past the north-west stages of the national competitions because I could never get past Ronnie Heffron who was like a grown man, even when we were young teenagers. I always give him a competitive fight, mind.

‘Highlight of my amateur career would be my two wins over (reigning WBO lightweight champion) Terry Flanagan when we were both schoolboys.

‘I was also a very good footballer and had trials for Blackburn and Burnley but decided to focus on the boxing.’

His progression away from the TV glare means that he lands in Cardiff as a largely unknown and unseen commodity to both fans and foe....something he believes will serve to his advantage.

 ‘I believe I’ve everything a fighter needs to have,’ states ‘The Pain’

‘I come on strong in the later rounds but my biggest strength is probably my boxing ability; slipping and popping off the back foot. I like it most when my opponent’s ‘in my face’. But, being a fiery person, I still like to have a fight and I probably need to lose that.’

 Though Singleton harbours a healthy regard for the defending champion, he has profited from 10 week’s notice and is adamant that he’ll not concede to stage fright on what is easily the biggest test of his seven year career.

‘Bradley’s quality. They don’t give British and Commonwealth titles away. The lad’s got everything; fantastic range and he rarely gets hit,’ acknowledges Shayne.

‘But I also see a way of beating him and that’s why I took the fight. Others are expecting a cautious, cagey affair but they’ll be in for a shock. Expect the unexpected!

‘I believe my speed, accuracy and movement will trouble him, big time. I’ll make him answer questions and just believe I’ll be too much for him on the night. I’ll bring too much evilness and craziness!’

Remaining tickets for 'A Little Less Conversation' priced at £70, £100 and £150 are available from Motorpoint Arena Cardiff; 029 2022 4488 and www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk, Eventim; 0844 249 1000 and www.eventim.co.uk, Ticketmaster; 0844 8440 444 and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Clydach Vale Super-Welterweight star Liam Williams has been named the 2016 Best Young Boxer of the Year by the prestigious Boxing Writers’ Club.

The fast-rising powerhouse is the latest addition to an illustrious roll call of British greats who have previously won the award, including Terry Downes, Howard Winstone, Ken Buchanan, John Conteh, Barry McGuigan, Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton and more recently Billy Joe Saunders.

Williams joins fellow Welsh boxing greats Howard Winstone, Joe Calzaghe and Enzo Maccarinelli as the winner of an award that salutes the very best in young British boxing talent.

Dynamite-punching Williams, 24, is fast establishing himself as one of the best young talents coming through the domestic scene with an explosive unbeaten record of 15 fights and ten knockouts and has so far claimed the Commonwealth and British Super-Welterweight titles, both televised on The Channel of Champions, BoxNation.

His last five fights have ended in brutal back-to-back knockout wins and he stopped Wembley’s Gary Corcoran in the eleventh round to retain his British belt at the Cardiff Ice Arena in July.

Ranked at number three in the world by the WBO, Williams is moving up the rankings fast and next fights at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday 22nd October when he faces undefeated rival Ahmet Patterson in the second defence of his British title.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have been honoured with this award,” said Williams. “The fact that so many knowledgeable boxing writers, who have the whole of the country to choose from, have chosen me, it means a lot to me. Also, to have my name on a trophy alongside so many great fighters such as Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe makes me very proud. It is an exciting time to be involved in Welsh boxing, there is a lot of positivity around at the moment which is helping me in my preparation for my British title defence against Ahmet Patterson.”

Trainer Gary Lockett said: "I'm delighted that Liam has won the prestigious Boxing Writers' Young Boxer of the Year award. He has certainly worked hard enough for it. Liam has come through some dark times to take his place on the list of many world class fighters that have won this famous award previously and I am extremely proud of him."

Frank Warren is delighted with Williams’ rapid progress. Williams becomes the 20th boxer promoted by the Hall of Famer Promoter to win the award.

“I’m thrilled that Liam has been awarded the Boxing Writers’ Young Boxer of the Year of the award and he deserves it for all the hard work he has put in over the past twelve months. In Liam we have a star in the making on our hands. He is an incredibly popular individual and his appeal comes from being a brutal banger who can also box a bit. He punches like Colin Jones, has an engine and determination like Joe Calzaghe. I believe he will emulate them, Enzo Maccarinelli and Steve Robinson in going all the way, he certainly has the attitude and tools to do it,” said Warren.

Welsh hero Williams will be presented his award at the iconic ceremony on Monday 10th October at the Savoy Hotel.

It might not seem like it on paper, but Bolton bantamweight Osman Aslam gets the toughest test of his fledgling career this Saturday (October 1) when he faces Brett Fidoe at   Manchester’s Lancashire County Cricket Club, live on the ‘It’s A-Bout Boxing’ TV channel (Sky 468 and Freeview Channel 90).

Fidoe enters the contest with a seemingly uninspiring 6-28-2 (5) ledger, but the Worcestershire fighter is renowned as a battler who is capable of causing an upset.  Fidoe has given some of the UK’s best little-men a hard night’s work, including Andrew Selby and Kevin Satchell, and has only been stopped once in his 28 defeats.

Aslam, guided by former Amir Khan manager Asif Vali, has romped to 6-0 (2) in just over a year as a pro and has excited with some dominant performances.  The 22-year-old should notch up another win against Fidoe on the ‘Zak Vali Annual Evening of Professional Boxing’, but will need to be on top of his game.

“This is a good test for Osman,” said Vali.  “I’ve seen Fidoe box all over the country against some top established fighters, as well as good prospects, and he is always a very dangerous test.  No-one should be fooled by his record, five of his wins have come by KO and he probably should have got decisions on more occasions than he has.  So it’s going to be a good fight, but I have great faith in Osman.  I think he’s a real talent who can potentially go far in the game. 

“I’m also looking forward to watching the big heavyweight Con Sheehan, who is trained by my good friend Peter Fury, trainer of heavyweight world champ Tyson Fury.  Peter has raved about Con, and the fans should be in for an explosive performance.  We’ve also got Adam Hague and Matty Mainwaring on the card, who are both trained by Ricky Hatton’s brother, Matthew.  And local lad, Daryl Sharp will also be appearing.

“This will be an entertaining evening of small-hall boxing, and is supporting a great cause in the Zak Vali Foundation.  I’m also excited to be working with ‘It’s A-Bout Boxing’ who are televising the show live and free for fans to watch.  If any press want to come please do call the office, and I look forward to seeing all the fans on the evening.”

Asif Vali, in partnership with Dennis Hobson Promotions, present the ‘Zak Vali Annual Evening of Professional Boxing’ on October 1 at The Point, Emirates Old Trafford (Lancashire County Cricket Club).

Appearing on the show will be Bolton’s Osman Aslam versus Brett Fidoe; Manchester’s Adam Hague versus Matthew Seawright, Manchester’s Matthew Mainwaring versus Yailton Neves; Ireland’s Con Sheehan versus Radak Varek, and Lancashire’s Darryl Sharp versus TBA.