Northampton's Nico Michael ready to deliver emotional victory

The 30-year-old from Northampton is unbeaten in eight professional bouts. Following three consecutive six-round contests, he and coach James Conway felt the time was right to step up to title level. They immediately seized the opportunity when a spot opened to challenge for the Midlands Area belt.

"It feels surreal, to be honest," said Michael. "After my last fight, I spoke to my coach James, and we wanted a step up after doing the six rounds, and I feel ready for it. It's been a long time since I started boxing, and I knew I didn't want to just train; I wanted to fight, but I didn't know I would be in this position, fighting for my first title all these years later."

The champion from Leicester won the belt in March last year with an impressive points victory against the previously unbeaten Frazer Morgan. A potential clash with Michael has been discussed for some time, and it is a fight Bruce had actively called for. Back-to-back losses against Callum Singh and Matt McHale have recently hampered his progress, but the tricky southpaw represents a significant step up in opposition, for which the challenger is fully prepared.

"I don't know why he has chased it; I think maybe he sees me as a threat, as I sell a lot of tickets and I am in his division, but he obviously fancies the fight," Michael commented. "I can't say too much about the game plan, but we have been preparing for Sean, and I've boxed southpaws previously, and I've been mostly sparring that style, and after so many changes with opponents in my previous fights, having one name to focus on has been great for my training. At this stage, my fitness is good; I have been doing eight- and ten-round spars and feel like I could do twelve."

Michael trains at the Shoe-Box Gym in Northampton alongside several gym mates who will also be fighting on the same bill. He has also shared rounds with the unbeaten Bradley Thompson, who is himself challenging for Midlands Title honours at flyweight in December.

"The first time I ever did four three-minute rounds was against Liam Davies, so I really enjoyed the spar with his brother, and we both landed some decent shots, and it was a really good session. His coach said how much he thought I had improved since they first saw me spar, which shows how much better I have become."

Michael has fought seven of his eight previous contests at the venue he returns to on the 12th, and his supporter base has grown considerably, with a sea of red t-shirts filling the seats. One special supporter who sadly will not be in attendance is his Greek grandfather, affectionately known as 'Bapou', who passed away recently. After a busy time with a new house purchase and the challenge of losing someone so important to him, Michael is using all of this as extra motivation.

"I was surprised he was willing to come to my hometown in front of my supporters, and with everything that has happened the last few months, I feel more motivated than ever. It feels like there is more than just the belt on the line; I want to win for him. I only ever take one fight at a time, but people keep asking me what will be next, and I know how big a win will be for me; it could open up everything, and I promise to make that happen."

The undercard features an intriguing clash between Klinton Baptiste and Toby Bassett, as well as former English title challengers Eithan James and Ben Vaughan, with the unbeaten duo Charlie Hamilton and Callum Latimer completing the line-up.

Tickets are available now, priced at £45 for general admission and £80 for VIP ringside, from the boxers directly or by emailing [email protected].