ROSS Burkinshaw will tomorrow face up to his biggest challenge since stepping into the ring at the age of eight.
The Oughtibridge super bantamweight resumes his career at Don Valley Stadium for the first time since dislocating his shoulder in February.
The joint, which had also been dislocated in a car crash years earlier, is now healed again.
But it is an obvious distraction for a 22-year-old desperate to go to the top.
"The joint is 99 per cent as strong as it was before," he says.
"The biggest factor for me, really, is the mental one. An injury like this is bound to be on your mind.
"I know tomorrow's fight is make-or-break for me (the referee stopped the last fight in round two when his shoulder popped) and I cannot afford for it to go wrong again."
Burkinshaw, a serving soldier in The Rifles, started his career as a lad at Hillsborough Boys Club.
"I was eight and enjoying it, but it closed down when I was 10 and Paul 'Silky' Jones suggested I tried Sheffield Boxing Centre.
"I've been there since, but as far as I am concerned, tomorrow's fight is the biggest I have had since I was a kid. I have got to win - and prove to everybody the shoulder is fixed."
Standing in his way is rookie rival Mike Holloway.
"He's from Leeds and as I'm a Sheffield Wednesday fan I don't like him," laughed Burkinshaw.
"He must fancy his chances because he is bringing 30 fans with him. But I have sold about 170 tickets and I won't let anybody down.
"I certainly won't be underestimating him like I did against Shaun Docherty (a draw at Doncaster Dome 12 months ago.)
Meanwhile, Promoter Glyn Rhodes is trying to secure a Polish opponent for Stannington light-heavy Billy Boyle, after Ingle rival Paul David pulled out of a planned British Masters bash.
Rhodes said: "The Ingles said their man could not make 12st 7lb but could meet 13st.
"But because it was for a title, both of them had to make weight.
"So it looks like Billy will be just boxing six rounds.
"He is gutted but I am going to try to arrange a title fight for him before Christmas."
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