Mark Chamberlain hopes that a shot at the British title could be on the cards by the end of the year.
The 11-0 man from Waterlooville won the IBF European title last time out with a resounding points success over Marc Vidal at Wembley Arena last July and now, after recovering from a shoulder injury, he is set to go again when he co-headlines at York Hall on Friday February 17 with a defence against Vairo Lenti.
“It is a first defence and I am ready to get the show on the road again,” said the 24-year-old with seven stoppages to his name. “I’ve been in the gym working since the end of November now, training every day and I only had Christmas and Boxing Day off.
“So I’ve been training twice a day waiting for the phone call and now I’ve got the date, I will be ready to go.”
The big-hitting southpaw is fortunate to have an inside track on the 30-year-old Italian he is coming up against because his sometime training partner Alejandro Moya, the soon-to-be European title contender, has already fought Lenti and was able to share a few pointers.
“I have been told he is pretty similar to the last opponent in toughness. One of the other fellas who trains with us, Alex, fought him about four or five fights ago. He put him over but these are tough old boys and he got up and carried on.
“Alex said he is just tough, he is another opponent who has not been stopped. I won’t go in there to try and stop him, but if it comes, it comes,” added Chamberlain, who will have the distinction of being an out-of-towner from the South Coast topping a card in London, which will stand him in good stead for a potential British title challenge in the not too distant future.
“I know and it is why I can’t thank the office enough for believing in me and making it happen. Everything seems to be going well at the minute, obviously I have got the title now and it is the next step towards where I want to be.
“I believe I can get all the way to the top with the right guidance and the right fights at the right time.
“The British title is being fought for by Gwynn and Woodruff again and I would fight the winner of that, no problem. They are good fighters who are established and ain’t got the title for nothing.
“I truly believe that I am up there with those boys, if not better. You’ve got to believe in yourself.
“I know I can’t just say I want to fight for the British next because it is not as easy as that, but with the people I have got around me I am sure they can hopefully make it happen.”
Tickets for the show at York Hall, Bethnal Green on Friday, 17 February are on sale now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.
