NICK Blackwell thinks that taking himself away for a fully-fledged training camp in Wales has put him in pristine shape for his British middleweight title showdown with John Ryder on Saturday.

Since linking up with new trainer Gary Lockett, Trowbridge’s ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell has opted to live and train in Cardiff as he prepares for his third crack at the Lonsdale belt in Cardiff.

The 24-year-old takes on Londoner Ryder on a star-studded bill at the O2 Arena this weekend and says that taking himself away from Wiltshire in the build up to the biggest fight of his career has worked wonders.

“I’m living out of a suitcase but it’s what I needed to do,” Blackwell told the Wiltshire Times.

“I can go home at weekends and chill out, see my friends, see my family but I’m concentrating on my boxing when I come back on Monday. It’s working out so well.

“It is a proper training camp. I’ve taken myself from all my friends and my family. I’ve taken myself away from all the distractions from where I live.

“People will say ‘mate, come out and do this and do that’ and sometimes you’re dragged out but I’ve taken myself away from that and all I’m doing is focussing on my training, eating healthy and just being in a proper training camp for once.

“It was a big decision but it was something I needed to do, especially for a fight of this magnitude.

“Everything’s gone so well. My weight has never been this good and I’m still eating loads of food as well, so that shows how hard I’m grafting and that it’s actually working.”

READ OUR FULL PRE-FIGHT SPECIAL WITH NICK BLACKWELL IN THIS FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES