NEWCASTLE fighter Lewis Ritson is confident a brutal lockdown training regime will pay dividends when he defends his WBA Intercontinental Super-Lightweight title against Miguel Vazquez this weekend.

Ritson has endured a frustrating year, with the coronavirus pandemic having scuppered proposed meetings with Vazquez in April and June.

However, the enforced lay-off has given him a chance to lock himself away with his trainer, Neil Fannon, and the pair are confident the 27-year-old is in the shape of his life ahead of Saturday’s showdown at the East of England Arena in Peterborough.

“It has probably benefited me more than most other fighters,” said Ritson, whose last outing saw him defeat Robbie Davies Jnr at Newcastle Arena last October. “It has really allowed for us to gel and work on other areas of our game.

“Rather than wondering when a fight date may drop, despite the cancellations we always had an end date in mind, which has allowed for me to stay disciplined and sharp throughout.

“I’ve been in the gym the full year training hard and staying ready for whatever happens next. The start of lockdown gave me a chance to slow the pace down a little bit and work on a lot more of the technical stuff.

“I feel like I’ve improved a couple of levels compared to how I boxed against Robbie Davies Jnr. We knew that we would get a new date confirmed eventually, we just had to stay in the gym.”

Currently ranked number two with the WBA, Ritson stands on the brink of a World title shot, and this weekend’s meeting with former long-standing IBF ruler Vazquez should be an ideal bridge to the next level.

“If I bring my A-game, I’ll be too much for Miguel and will stop him,” said Ritson. “I think he’s probably a little bit on the slide, whereas I’m still on the way up, so we’re meeting bang in the middle.

“This is the type of fight where I can gain more experience to move to the next step. He’s been there and done it – we know what he is all about and what he will bring.”

Hartlepool’s Savannah Marshall will fight on the undercard of Saturday’s bill, taking on Glasgow’s former World champion Hannah Rankin for the vacant WBO World Middleweight title.