Lewis Ritson has passed his “apprenticeship” and is ready to hit the heights … starting this weekend.
The Geordie is relishing the challenge of taking on unbeaten Argentine fighter Jeremias Ponce in their final IBF world light-welterweight championship eliminator in Newcastle.
Victory at the Vertu Motors Arena on Saturday, June 12 will guarantee him a crack at one of the planet’s premier belts.
It will be his sixth fight in a row which carries title or eliminator status but Ritson is feeling as fit and as sharp as ever.
“I feel good and feel ready,” the 27-year-old told punch-lines.
“For the style I’ve got I’ve never been smashed up, but there’s always time for that!
“I feel relatively fresh, I’ve passed my apprenticeship and I now want to test myself with these fights.”
And Saturday’s bout will certainly be a test.
Ponce is Buenos Aires’s answer to the Sandman – he loves to fight and has a penchant for early finishes with 17 of his 27 wins coming via stoppage.
But Ritson, on a run of four straight wins since his move up to 10 stones, is convinced Saturday will be his night and the motivation level is huge for the boxer who has been back home at Forest Hall in the build-up to this England v Argentina showdown.
“Win this fight and the next fight after that hopefully be the one every boxer dreams of,” said Lewis who has been training with dad, Davy.
“I’m happy and a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter.
“I’ll be looking to show the Vazquez fight was a bit of an off-night and I’m now back stronger and better.
“I’m fully focused on Ponce, I know he’ll be coming to fight and I’m looking to win and win well.”
While Ritson does not say it in as many words there is a sense of proving a point after the controversial split points decision against Miguel Vazquez.
Many watchers felt the Mexican, known as ‘The Puppet’ deserved the nod, but it went the way of the Phil Jeffries-managed boxer.
Ritson says he has learned from the experience.
“We got it wrong with Vazquez,” he explained. “We thought he was going to come and have a go but he did the opposite!
“I spoke to Miguel after the fight and he said after the first round he knew I was too strong for him to stand with.
“After the first couple of rounds I thought ‘this is going to be a canny night’ but I ended up getting stuck in the mud, shall I go forward? Shall I wait? In the end I didn’t do much of anything.
“You live and learn, don’t you?
“Did I win? Whether I should have got it, I don’t know, I’ve not watched it back, but I asked my dad a few days after and he thought I’d got the rub of the green with the result.
“Sometimes you get the rub, sometimes you don’t and, luckily, I probably got it that night.
“We have to make sure that for the next fight that we are on it.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
