SWINDON’S Luke ‘The Duke’ Watkins is ready to make a statement in his bout with Lawrence Okolie next week, according to trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick.

The two cruiserweights are scheduled to go head-to-head at a sold-out York Hall on Wednesday, June, 6, and Fitzpatrick says his man is looking in better shape than ever.

Neither fighter has suffered defeat in their professional careers so far, as Watkins, the current Commonwealth champion takes on 2016 Olympian Okolie in just over a week’s time.

Fitzpatrick said: “Every boxer has their breakout fight, or they all have the opportunity for that fight. We are in their with another good man.

“I think it is a fight that one man didn’t need to be in and a fight the other man desperately wanted.

"Lawrence doesn’t need to be in the fight, so it says a lot about his character that he is.

“He has the WBA Continental title, he could have quietly defended that a few times and get some experience, but instead he chose to go into a battle against Duke.

“Duke wanted to be in that breakout fight where everyone is talking about him, and that is what he has got.”

Fitzpatrick has been in Watkins' corner since he turned professional in 2014 and has guided him to a record of 13-0, with nine knockout victories.

The Ferndale Road-based trainer is also expecting fans of Watkins to be out in force in the capital, and says the 28-year-old is enjoying everything that comes with a fight of this magnitude.

“Luke is looking superb. Everything is absolutely beautiful, he is a very happy fighter and he is loving life right now. He’s loving it and I’m loving it,” he said.

“It’s the platform that we want to be on, as opposed to the fight we want to be in. No disrespect to Lawrence, it is just another fight.

“The event is what it’s about. Luke wanted to be on big shows and be the main event, he wants to be on TV and he’s been on TV in his last three fights.

“That is what every fighter wants, it’s the same point where everyone is trying to get to.

“The venue is sold out. When I was negotiating the fight with Eddie Hearn, I wanted the fight to be at a bigger venue.

“The main thing for us was to get the fight. That was the priority, we weren’t overly concerned about the venue or the finances. We got what we wanted.”