SWINDON boxer Jamie Cox says he is more determined than ever as he bids to get back among the world’s best super-middleweights with a win over John Ryder in London this weekend.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist heads to the O2 Arena on Saturday for his second bout since his maiden professional defeat to George Groves in October.

Cox’s defeat came in his first world title bout, after he was stopped with a crushing body shot in the fourth round at Wembley Arena.

But the 31-year-old says that his focus is now sharper than ever as he looks to put on a show on the undercard of David Haye’s rematch against Tony Bellew.

“It’s made me hungrier. I came into this game to win a world title and be a world champion. That is what my mind is fully focussed on and John Ryder is just another man in the way,” Cox told the Advertiser.

“Every fight is important. This is one that I really want to show people how good I am and how I can come back from a loss.

“The plan is to stick behind my boxing. We have been working on a few openings that John has and that’s it really, just countering what he does.

“I’m looking forward to it. For me, the O2 is my favourite place for boxing as a spectator. I enjoy it there and I’m looking forward to putting on a treat for the fans.”

In his fight for the WBA strap last year, Cox had a slight size disadvantage against Groves and after the defeat many people suggested the 31-year-old could be better suited to middleweight.

However, this time round, Cox is the slightly bigger man against Ryder and reiterated that he is more comfortable as a super-middleweight.

“My weight won’t be much different from when I fought Groves,” added Cox, who is backing Bellew for victory in the main event.

“I just want to make the weight healthy. I’ll do everything how I normally do and just make sure I’ve got the right food in me and the fluids so I am ready to go.

“There is no chance I could lose seven pounds. I wasn’t this big five years ago, I’m just bigger now because I grew.

“People refer back to me when I was 10 stone which is a bit irrelevant to now, because I am a lot bigger now.

“If you look at a picture of me from then to now you’ll see that. I work very hard, I eat healthily and live the life, so if I could make 11 stone six then I would.

“Tony Bellew is an old friend of mine and he is a lot smarter than what people think, he’s strong.

“Obviously, David Haye has power and he has to be careful but I’m backing Tony Bellew to do a repeat.”