LUKE Watkins says that he is ready to make Tony Cruise wish that he’d never asked to share the ring with him.

The unbeaten cruiserweight, from Swindon, heads to the York Hall this evening, looking to stretch his unblemished record to seven wins from as many fights.

However, instead of having his opponents hand-picked to continue his rise through the ranks, the Paddy Fitzpatrick-trained fighter has become the hunted.

Cruise’s team approached 26-year-old Watkins and Fitzpatrick for the fight, which will be held over six three-minute rounds, and ‘the Duke’ is ready to make the South Yorkshireman pay.

“He’ll wish he hadn’t (asked for the fight),” Watkins told the Advertiser.

“I know this is all part and parcel of boxing and to be honest, I’m happy that it has happened so early in my career.

“The earlier you get to deal with these things, the better.”

Despite having fought on the undercard of a world title fight in Germany and making his professional debut at Wembley Arena, Watkins is looking forward to stepping between the ropes at the home of British boxing in Bethnal Green against the Barnsley banger, who has six wins from eight outings.

“If you are a boxer in Britain, then you want to fight at the York Hall – it is iconic,” he said. “Whether that is the ABAs or the pros, you want to fight there.

“I was there not long ago watching and the atmosphere was intense.

“You have got the balcony over the ring – it is incredible.”

Watkins was set to fight on the cancelled KM Promotions show in March, but the boxer, who has been sparring with former world champions Nathan Cleverly and Enzo Maccarinelli in the build-up to this contest, says that he was quickly back in the gym after the shock news.

“Once we got the news that the March show was no more, I took five or six days away from the gym,” Watkins said.

“People don’t see the hard work that we do in the gym – they just see the fight.

“But I don’t dwell on the negatives. I move forward and don’t let it bring my morale down.

“Once we got the news, Paddy was on to another promoter (Steve Goodwin) and we got this fight sorted – I can’t wait.”