SWINDON boxer Luke Watkins hopes Saturday night’s bout in his hometown can be a springboard back towards “bigger and better things”.

Watkins will take to the ring against an unconfirmed opponent in the Neilson Boxing-promoted Fight Town 2 show at the Oasis Leisure Centre, where his Fitzpatrick’s Gym stablemate Ryan Martin tops the bill.

Cruiserweight Watkins is a former Irish and Commonwealth champion – surrendering the latter belt in the main event on a Matchroom Boxing show last summer.

Between June 2017 and October 2018, Watkins had five consecutive fights either for a title or live on television, but his most recent outing was at April’s Fight Town 1 show back in Swindon.

The 29-year-old is eager to return to that glamorous TV level and believes a strong showing in front of a home crowd this weekend can help him do just that.

“I want to move onto bigger and better things,” said Watkins.

“It is amazing to fight in Swindon and it serves a fantastic purpose for me but I want to fight on big stages and I want to be a TV fighter consistently. That is where I want my career to be.

“I just need to do what I am doing. I am following the same processes that I followed to get to that level originally.

“I am not signed to a TV promoter. When they throw a dog a bone, you take the opportunity.

“I will continue to do what I do. If I progress through the ranks, take risks and win fights, the opportunities will come.

“It is not that we don’t get the phone calls – I have been offered two fights recently.

“It is not like they are not there but I have had an injury so I wanted to make sure I was fit, and I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew as I would never turn up to a fight under-prepared.

“It is not a short career, in the sense of having a few fights and it is over. You need to enjoy the highs and then in what people perceive as the lows, you ride them out.”

After starting his career with 13 consecutive wins, Watkins’ record currently stands at 14-2.

This month marked five years since the cruiserweight’s pro debut on a show at Wembley Arena and he intends to stick around in the sport for the long term.

“You hear about a lot of guys quitting at the 10-fight mark after being a pro for a few years,” said Watkins.

“They are in it for the short term, they obviously don’t understand the boxing business and the process of how it actually works.

“A lot of fighters don’t make all their money until the last few years.

“There are a few who make money throughout their whole careers and there are some that make substantial amounts right at the very end.

“It is a very unusual business.”