Shayne ready for his shot at the British title

The 27-year-old says that he’s been floating like a butterfly during BoxNation’s big countdown to his fight with champion Bradley Skeete and he’s promised to sting like a bee once the first bell sounds tonight.

Singleton earned his shot more than 12 months ago when stopping Adil Anwar at the Manchester Arena and so this opportunity has been a long time in the making.

“It’s all becoming very real,” he said. “It’s actually happening, finally. I can’t wait; I’m just really excited and happy. BoxNation have been doing a countdown on Twitter and that was giving me butterflies. It’s also given me the assurance that it’s going ahead.

“I just feel excitement going in to it.

“I always get asked whether I’m nervous or if I’m worrying about it but I don’t. I’m just buzzing for it.

“It’s hard to explain exactly how I’m feeling but it feels good. I don’t get this kind of feeling anywhere else or from anything else.

“It’s all adrenaline and the excitement levels are amazing.

“I’ve given everything possible. I’ve had early nights in bed, I’ve been running early in the mornings and at night, I’ve been dieting well and training hard.

“That’s the reason why I don’t suffer from nerves because I’ve left nothing behind. I’ve got nothing to be nervous about.”

Singleton has taken an admirably assured stance ahead of his headline act at the Brentwood Centre in Essex, having dedicated months of his life to this one defining moment, but the welterweight fighter acknowledges that he’ll have to draw on all of his reserves if he is to usurp his rival at the head of the domestic scene at 147lbs.

The belt holder, who defended his crown against John Thain having initially swiped it from Sam Eggington’s clutches, is ranked fourth with the WBO and sixth with the IBF.

“He’s a seriously talented fighter, he’s got a very good jab, he’s a longer and taller fighter,” said Singleton. “I’ve got to find a way of taking that out of the game. I’ve got to find something different.

“He’s going to be in a tough fight too though. I rate myself at this level and so do the British Boxing Board of Control because they made me the mandatory challenger.

“I think he’ll go off the Sam Eggington fight but remember I’ve only been beaten once in my whole career. I’ve only been down a handful of times.

“He’s living in a dream world if he thinks that he’s going to stop me. That definitely isn’t going to happen.

“The best man will win on the night and I believe that will be me. I’ve got to give 110%, I’ve got to be better than my best, do something that I’ve never done before and find something that I’ve never found before.

“Just expect the best version of me. I know that I’ve got my work cut out and I know that I’ve got to pull something special out of the bag.”

With everything riding on the outcome of this fight, Singleton added: “Everything rests on this fight. This is my ticket to bigger things.

“This would be unbelievable; if I become British champion then I’ve succeeded. I’ll give everything and I’ll do everything that I possibly can to win that fight.

“Bradley Skeete will be involved in the toughest fight that he’s ever had. He’s not faced anybody like me before.

“I’m feeling in the best shape that I’ve ever been in both physically and mentally. I’ve been pushing myself to get the best out of myself.

“I’ve dedicated five months of my life to this one moment. I’m feeling stronger, on top of everything, I’ve trained as best as I can for this so I’m ready to go.”

Shayne would like to thank Ross’s Roofing, Uprite Scaffolding, Bounce Back Safety Surfaces, AJ Wood Ltd, Fitness Evolution, Salvador Health, Wellocks and Nightfox, as well as his fans, for their continued sponsorship and support.