Commonwealth title fight 'huge stepping stone' for Dean Sutherland
- Published
Sutherland has fought just once in 2022 after a couple of cancellations
Undefeated Dean Sutherland says "this definitely feels like my time" as he prepares for Saturday's shot at the Commonwealth super-welterweight title.
The Aberdonian, with a perfect record of 13 wins from 13 professional fights, faces England's Louis Greene for the vacant belt in front of a home crowd.
"I have never felt so good, been so positive mentally," he said.
"I am in absolutely the best shape I possible can be so one hundred per cent this definitely feels like my time."
It is just a second outing in 2022 for the 24-year-old who has had two other fights fall through this year.
And the showdown with Greene is the first since he decided to move up a division from welterweight, where he won the WBC International Silver title.
"The weight was just becoming a bit too much of a struggle and my training was mostly just weight-based instead of boxing-based, but just now my weight is under brilliant control," Sutherland told BBC Scotland.
"I'm performing absolutely amazingly in the gym - personal bests on runs and fitness tests, and the level of sparring that I have been getting as well, the quality I am producing, I am just fuelled up like a Ferrari and ready to go."
Sutherland enjoyed a glittering kickboxing career, winning multiple world titles prior to taking up professional boxing four years ago.
Last month he rounded off a camp in Los Angeles being put through his paces at the Wild Card Boxing Club, owned by Freddie Roach, one of the most successful trainers in the history of the sport.
"You go in there and it is all legendary fighters, posters and signatures, stuff like that all over the place and for a young up-and-coming fighter it is huge inspiration," he said. "That's the level you want to get towards.
"He (Roach) was messaging me back and forth afterwards about little pointers and tips and things I was doing right. To get a bit of insight from him was brilliant, but he was very impressed.
"I will be looking forward to going back over there with another belt around my waist.
"This is the exact time to be jumping on the 'The Dean Train' because we are going right to very top and it is just going to be picking up momentum after Saturday night. This is a huge stepping stone for myself."