NICK Blackwell says the chance to box back in his home town just before Christmas was enough to make him turn down a bigger purse to fight this month.

‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell’s first defence of the English middleweight title he won last November has been confirmed for Trowbridge’s new Civic Centre on December 17.

The 21-year-old, whose only defeat came in his British title challenge against Martin Murray in Wigan in June, will take on Leicester challenger Martin Concepcion, who recently lifted the Midlands Area middleweight title and is a former British and Commonwealth light-middleweight title challenger.

Blackwell, whose last Trowbridge appearance was at the old Civic Centre early last year, revealed he could have boxed Southern Area champion and former Great Britain Olympian Billy Joe Saunders later this month, but only had eyes for a contest on home turf.

“I can’t wait – it’s been ages since I boxed in Trowbridge in front of my home crowd,’’ he told the Wiltshire Times.

“People have been travelling all over to support me in my fights so it’s great to put on a show at home.

“It’s going to be a tough fight (against Concepcion), but I’m really looking forward to it and I’ll be ready and fitter than ever.’’ He added: “I’ve already done four or five weeks of training because I was offered the chance to fight Billy Joe Saunders this month for about three times as much money.

“But when I knew there was the chance to fight in Trowbridge again, it was an easy decision.’’

Stablemate Liam Richards, from Melksham, is also likely to feature on the December 17 Trowbridge bill.

The 25-year-old, who lost out in an English super-bantamweight title challenge in Bethnal Green last month, was due to take on Devon’s Jamie Speight in a Southern Area super-featherweight title clash at Chippenham’s Olympiad on December 3 but Speight has pulled out of the contest.

Contender Gym fighters Aaron Fox, from Westbury, and Trowbridge’s Dan Carr could also be on the Civic Centre bill.

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