STUART Hall admits he has passed up the opportunity of an easy life in order to take on the biggest fight of his career in Doncaster this evening.

Darlington's Hall, who is the reigning Commonwealth bantamweight champion, lines up against American Sergio Perales for the IBF Inter-Continental title at the Keepmoat Stadium.

The 33-year-old could have hand-picked a much less talented opponent in order to protect a record that has seen him lose just two of his 17 professional bouts.

But with his time at the highest level limited, the North-Easterner has instead opted to tackle Perales, a highly-rated southpaw who is ranked five in the world and boasts a career record of 22 wins from 23 contests.

"I could have had a couple of easy defences of the Commonwealth title," said Hall, who is hoping a victory this evening will set up a world-title fight with Jamie McDonnell, who is fighting Julio Ceja for the vacant IBF bantamweight title at the top of tonight's bill. "I'm not getting any younger, and I just feel like I'm at my prime right now.

"If I was going to take on a fight like this, it had to be now because I don't feel like I could be in any better shape than I am at the moment.

"I'm proud of everything I've achieved in the ring so far, but I'm capable of more and want to show that. This is the time to start pushing on and really doing something, and that starts this weekend when I do the business against Perales."

Hall's last outing in the ring came last November when he out-pointed Josh Wale at the Dolphin Centre to claim the Commonwealth title.

A scheduled defence in March was abandoned because his proposed opponent was unable to secure a visa, but his preparations for that fight meant he was already in peak condition as he turned his attentions towards Perales.

He only had a one-week break between training camps, and feels he is in the best shape of his career as he prepares to tackle an opponent who has never previously fought outside North America.

"The training could not have gone any better," said Hall. "This is the best I've ever felt going into the ring, and that's just as well because I'll have to be at the top of my game to win.

"I've been splitting my training between Leeds and Darlington, and I've also been using the gym at Rockliffe Hall. I've been travelling all over the place to get the best possible sparring, and have been delighted with the work-outs I've had.

"I've been sparring with Jazza Dickens, who's a weight heavier than me at super bantamweight and is rightly thought of as one of the best southpaws in the country. I've had some great eight-round tear-ups with him, and if I can go that long with him at his weight, I shouldn't have any fears about going toe-to-toe with Perales at bantamweight."

Perales' most recent success came when he stopped Nava Saturnino last October, but while the American is regarded as one of the heaviest hitters in the bantamweight division, Hall has questioned the strength of his record.

"I haven't actually seen that much of him," he said. "But when we've had a good look at his record, I'm not sure it really stacks up. A lot of the lads he's beaten had losing records and I don't think he'll ever have seen anyone who can compare to me.

"To be honest, I think it's a good thing that I haven't been able to concentrate too much on his previous fights. Sometimes, you can over-analyse things instead of just concentrating on your own strengths.

"I think that was the problem when I fought (Lee) Haskins (who beat Hall in a European title fight last July). I was too busy analysing what he could do, and I didn't just concentrate on what I do best."

Having created history when he became the first Darlington fighter to win the Lonsdale Belt outright, Hall will create another landmark if he becomes the first boxer from the town to be crowned Inter-Continental champion.

"It would mean a lot to me," he said. "I've always said that part of what drives me on is a desire to put Darlington on the map.

"I think there's about 200-or-so fans going down to Doncaster from Darlington, and it'll be great to have that support behind me. Hopefully, I can repay them and set up a world-title fight with Jamie McDonnell. Then that really would be a special night."