“I’M not the big fish in the little pond anymore.”

Nick Blackwell had to take a leap of faith as he tore up the blueprint and brought about the most significant change of his professional career.

But after splash-landing in Gary Lockett’s Cardiff gym, the Trowbridge middleweight ace is certain that he’s made the right decision ahead of a make-or-break evening in London.

Taking himself away from Mark Kent’s Contender Gym in his hometown was a difficult call to make but the 24-year-old says that staying in a hotel across the Severn bridge and dedicating himself to his training camp has paid dividends in the build-up to his British title showdown with John Ryder.

“I’ve been coming up for sparring for the last two or three years and I started coming up twice a week with Gary and he was pointing stuff out that I wasn’t doing,” said Blackwell.

“And when I was doing it, I felt like it was working. I felt like I was really learning.

“It was simple stuff – I had it in the locker but I suppose I didn’t have somebody telling me to use it as much.

“And then I just had one of those days where I sat down and thought ‘I need to make a change’.

“I spoke to Gary first and he said that I needed to speak to Mark first before I made a decision. I sat down with Mark and told him how I was feeling and Mark took it really well. I said ‘I just want to better myself’ and he said ‘I’m not going to stop you’.

“Gary Lockett has been there and done it. Mark’s been there since day one and we were both learning together but the difference is I need someone who’s been there and done it at this level.

“Mark took it alright and I want to thank him for everything he’s done since day one.

“But it was the right decision. I’ve taken myself away and taken this really seriously. I feel really good. I feel in the best shape I ever have and I’m just ready to get down to business.

“Coming up here, I can only get better and better and I think I’ve learned enough from Gary that I will beat John Ryder in this fight.

“When I was down in Trowbridge, sparring people in the gym, I was sparring people like my brother (Dan). My brother’s a journeyman and I wasn’t learning anything sparring with him but here, I am learning.

“I’m not the big fish in the little pond anymore.”

Life has understandably changed immeasurably during Blackwell’s six years as a professional but ‘Bang Bang’, who is backed by Mick Hennessy, admits that he still pinches himself when he recounts how far he’s come, with days of scrapping in the back rooms of snooker clubs far in the rear-view mirror as he prepares for a third British title fight at the O2 Arena.

“I never ever thought when I first started boxing - when I first walked in to Mark’s gym – that I’d be where I am now,” said the Trowbridge man.

“I started unlicensed fighting; I never thought I’d be doing that. I turned pro; I never thought I’d be doing that. I won the English title and now I’ve signed with Mick Hennessy and I’m fighting on a big show on Sky Sports in front of 18,000 at the O2 Arena.

“It’s crazy how things pan out but it shows that if you keep working hard and you want something that bad, you can get it.”

FOLLOW ALL THE LIVE UPDATES, NEWS & REACTION FROM THE BLACKWELL FIGHT,  WITH DAN BARNES AT THE O2 ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT WILTSHIRETIMES.CO.UK/SPORT AND ON TWITTER @WTSPORT. FIGHT DUE TO START FROM AROUND 6.30-7PM