Ricky Summers Interview

Challenging English light heavyweight champion Dan Azeez for his belts in Bolton on Saturday night, Ricky Summers was in high spirits as he looked forward to the British title eliminator this weekend.

In what will be his first bout since beating Raimonds Sniedze in December 2019, Summers has been out of the ring for over a year. Eager to get back to work, the Englishman said that he’s “feeling great” ahead of his return.

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“My weight’s on point and my training is going well,” he explained.

“You always get a bit tired at this stage of camp, but barring that, it’s been great.

“I’m raring to go and I’ve stayed in the gym since my last fight.

“A few offers have popped up in the last year. I was meant to fight Craig Richards before he fought Shakan Pitters. Craig had a shoulder injury which he recovered from and he went on to beat Shak.

“With the pandemic and stuff, nothing else has been going on.”

The longest Summers has ever gone without an opponent, the 33-year-old said that the Covid-forced break was “a blessing in disguise” as he reflected on a difficult year.

“It’s been frustrating,” he said.

“On the other hand though, I’m now with a new team at BCB and we’ve had more time to work together.”

Having competed once before for the BBBofC British light heavy title, ‘Digger’ lost to Frank Buglioni courtesy of a unanimous decision in 2017. Using his first ever defeat as motivation to beat Azeez, Summers explained the harsh realities of boxing.

“I am massively motivated to win against Azeez,” he said.

“You can’t afford to lose in boxing. When you lose in boxing, you’ll be knocked so far down the ladder.

“There’s pressure in every fight, but I’m going to be the best Ricky Summers and I’ll make the most of it.

“This is a must win fight for me and I will go out there and pull it off. We’ve got a good game plan.

“I’ve watched Azeez come up and he’s a good fighter.

“I’ve got the tools to beat him and I’ll prove that next month.”

With only three days to go until fight night, Summers expressed how much it would mean to hand Azeez his first defeat.

“It would mean the world to me,” he said.

“When I first set out as a boxer, my dream was to become the English champion.

“Fighting for the title now, I can achieve that dream.

“Obviously I came up short for the British title, but this fight with Azeez could open up the doors to big things.

“Beating an opponent in the top five in the country, it could put me up there.

“It’s a big fight for us both. If I win this, then I’m one fight away from my dream of becoming British champion.

“It’s every British fighter’s dream to become British champion.”

Thanking his sponsors for their on-going support, Summers showed his appreciation to those who back him.

“I just want to say thank you to Nigel Porter,” he said.

“Nigel is one of my main sponsors and he has sponsored me through thick and thin.

“Even though sponsors have dropped off, Nigel has always stuck by me and believed in me.”

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Noah Abrahams articles