Waterlooville hope given golden chance under TV spotlight on boxing's return

The Waterlooville lightweight has been given a golden opportunity to impress on the sport’s return tomorrow in London.

Chamberlain, 21, looks to extend his unbeaten professional record as he takes on Devizes’ Stu Greener in the first show since boxing’s suspension amid the coronavirus pandemic on BT Sports.

The event takes place under tight control at the BT Studios in east London, with the decorated amateur believing he’s been rewarded for not letting standards slip in recent months.

Chamberlain said: ‘My promoter Frank Warren said the people putting in the work through lockdown would be rewarded and I’m sure they’ve been following what I’ve been doing on social media.

‘That’s what’s helped to get me on the first show.

‘There’s going to be a lot of eyes watching this with it being the first show back.

‘It’s going to be great. I know I’ve got a lot of people watching so have to go out there and do what I normally do.

‘We were here Tuesday for Covid tests. We’re not allowed out of our hotel rooms and to be around people.

‘I’m just going down for my food and back up again. It’s boring but to make sure there’s no chance of us picking it up after our tests.

‘It will be weird and I suppose it will be a bit like sparring in the gym with no audience there.

‘When you’re in there you block what’s happening outside the ring, though, whether there’s 10 people or 10,000 people there.

‘I don’t hear anything and just focus on what I’m doing.’

After picking up three stoppages from his five wins to date, Chamberlain has earned a reputation for his concussive power.

But the man who has the support of renowned cutsman Frankie Hopkins is adamant he won’t go looking for the knockout on his toughest assignment to date.

He added: ‘On paper he’s my best opponent so far, but I just want to grab any opportunity with both hands.

‘I’ll take it as it comes. If you go looking for it (the knockout) it doesn’t happen. I just let it happen naturally.

‘I want to win this one and get out straight away again - hopefully on the O2 bill in October. Hopefully everything is back to normal then.

‘I have to say a massive thank you to my sponsors who’ve stuck with me through the hard times, Frankie Hopkins, my trainer Wayne Batten and promoter Frank Warren for making it happen.’