Skelton wants to come out swinging

Initially launched as a one-night winner take all tournament pitting the best and brightest of British boxing against each other, the Prizefighter series has slowly become a competition for the nearly men and young upstarts of the fighting scene.�

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With Audley Harrison victorious in the last Heavyweight installment of Barry Hearn’s series and now facing David Haye for the WBA World Heavyweight title in November, the allure of post-tournament prospects have attracted a new crop of fighters looking to stake their claim for a shot at the big time.

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Matt Skelton, one of the more experienced fighters in the field, can see the potential that victory at east London’s York Hall could bring. “Well I think we’ve all seen the prospects of this concept and it’s exciting. All the fighters get recognition and it’s great for the spectator because of the concept of all the fights in one night means you’ve got to go for it because it’s not a 12 round fight.”

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This may prove to be the final chance at a title shot for the oldest man in the field, who at 43, is hunting for the same shot at glory which fell into the hands of Harrison.

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Skelton’s career path has been an interesting one. The man from Bedford carved out a successful career as a kick-boxer, winning 63 of his 71 bouts, a record not to be sneered at. After an extremely brief MMA spell (one fight, one loss), he turned his hand to boxing aged 35, an age when many fighters begin to wind up their careers.

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Despite only turning professional in 2002, Skelton has notched up an impressive record of 28 fights, 23 wins with 20 knock-outs, but it is his kick-boxing background which could prove to be the secret of success when it comes to the fast paced action of Prizefighter. “The thing is that I did kick-boxing when I was fighting in Japan, and it was very much the three round tournament.

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“Luckily for me we train at a very high pace anyway. I think my plus points in the boxing game have been my work rate, so it becomes an even quicker pace from round one. Everything we’ve done is geared for three minutes of explosive fighting with recuperation in-between rounds and in-between the fights.”

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As Skelton looks for a new lease of life in the ring, he remains pragmatic in his approach to boxing, following the cliché of ‘one fight at a time’. Despite this he could be forgiven for thinking what the future may hold if he is victorious in Bethnal Green.�

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“In an ideal world that would be brilliant for me and for any of the fighters taking part, but sometimes if you look too far ahead you lose focus on the job at hand and far be it from me to do that.”

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Even though the victor of Prizefighter will inevitably be linked with a big title fight, Skelton believes it will still be a long road for him. “Audley comes from a background where he was an Olympian, he’s always had good pedigree. If you look at his career he’s like a cat with nine lives, he keeps bouncing back.

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“I came from a kickboxing background, no amateur fighting whatsoever and I came into the game late. I’ve won British, Commonwealth, European and WBU titles but I wasn’t given the opportunity that Audley has been given. I can’t sit back and think that’s going to happen to me. I’ve got to think about myself and take each fight as it comes.”

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Despite his reservations of being fast-tracked to the big time, Skelton is heading into the tournament expecting a win. He is up against the likes of Kevin McBride, the last man to defeat Mike Tyson, and after alterations to the line-up, has the prospect of a mouth-watering final against old rival Michael Sprott.

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“Obviously I’ve come here with the view to win it, there’s no point in me being here if I was doing it half-hearted. You’ve only got three rounds of boxing. I think everyone can be fit for three rounds, if you’re not then there’s something seriously wrong. And with the heavyweights we know that one punch can turn a fight.

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“You look at Sprott, he’s well seasoned, he’s been around, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be there [in the final]. You can’t underestimate the other fighters. If you look at a certain fighter and he isn’t there [in the next round] you haven’t prepared for the unknown and you get caught out.”

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Where Harrison has been elevated to a WBA World title shot over the past twelve months, Skelton has had to endure a difficult period. “There were a lot of personal things happening to me at the end of last year and they made me decide to stop fighting. I’d taken a fight in Germany with five days notice and went out there when I probably shouldn’t have.�

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“I now know that [it was a bad idea] with hindsight. Afterwards I said to my trainer that I was considering not fighting anymore.”

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After coming through his difficulties and returning to training, Skelton now looks focused on the task at hand and doesn’t look like hanging up his gloves just yet.�

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“The day I get up and I think I don’t want to go to the gym or lose interest in training, then that’s the time for me to quit. At the moment I’m still enjoying it and hopefully I can come to the Prizefighter and prove I’ve still got the capability to do good things.”

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The�fight night will be live on Sky Sports. Lonsdale has been the choice of boxing champions for over 50 years. For further information on Lonsdale who are celebrating their 50th year head to www.lonsdaleboxing.co.uk.

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