Stokes out to make it count.

“I was over the moon with my last win, I got a text with two weeks notice asking if I fancied it and I’d seen Blaney box before.

“It looked like a good 50-50, on paper, and it turned out to be close, so it was nice to have something go my way.

“I had nothing to lose, so I went for it and the gamble paid off. It was a bit scrappy, he was trying to be awkward and tie me up.

“I think he was trying to get his own shots off and then smother my work, but I kept going and felt like I deserved to get it.

“I’d seen him gas, in what I’d watched, so I was pretty confident that I could outwork him, even though I was only about 80 per cent fit.

“I had a couple of days off, after the fight, and then I was straight back on it. I’ll be 100 per cent by the time I get to Stoke and I want to take this shot with both hands.”

Tom Stokes speaks ahead of his Midlands Middleweight Title bout with Nathan Heaney on BCB Promotions’ show at King’s Hall, in Stoke-on-Trent, on Friday June 21.