LUKE Watkins admits that he is taking a step into the unknown tonight as he make his professional boxing debut.

The 24-year-old from Swindon will face David Vicena, from the Czech Republic, over six three-minute rounds at Wembley Arena. The fight is on the undercard of his manager George Groves’ European super-middlweight title contest against Frechman Christopher Rebrasse.

But as the months of planning and weeks of training come to fruition this evening, the Paddy Fitzpatrick-trained cruiserweight is expecting a few nerves.

However, with the likes of Fitzpatrick and Groves guiding his career, Watkins hopes he knows how to handle them.

“Both Paddy and George have told me to expect a few nerves,” Watkins told the Advertiser. “But I have to embrace them.

“At the moment I’m feeling good, all the hard work is done, it is all about Saturday night now.

“Whether I’ll still be this calm then, who knows? You won’t know until it actually arrives.

“What I do know it that with all the training finished it has been a pretty long old week waiting for fight night to arrive.”

When Watkins leaves his Wembley Arena dressing room on Saturday night, he is likely to be the first on the bill, which will also include 2012 Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell.

The Swindonian says being first will not bring any pressure on his shoulders.

“What it will give me is a chance to fight in a big arena, when there won’t be many supporters there, and those who are there will mostly be for me,” Watkins said.

Watkins feels that making the move from the amateurs to the paid ranks will help him with his training.

“With the amateurs you have always got to be ready, it is constant - you aren’t sure when you are fighting next,” he said.

“With the professionals it is more structured, you spend more time preparing for one fight and that suits me.”

Having sparred the likes of Groves and former world light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly in the build up to this contest, Watkins has already been tested at a high level.

And his opponent this evening, Vicena, has shared the ring with some dangerous boxers.

The 35-year-old went the distance with heavyweight contender Manuel Charr in his second fight and also went the full four rounds with former European heavyweight champion Robert Helenius.

Vicena, however, can be stopped. In his third outing he faced Yoan Pablo Hernandez, the current IBF world cruiserweight champion, and Cuban, who was making his debut, needed just two rounds to secure the win.

Former Commonwealth title holder Tony Conquest also wasted little time in disposing of the man from the Czech Republic needing just 51 seconds to end the fight.