‘Point of Pride’ (SSE Arena, Saturday from 5pm, live on DAZN from 7pm)

IF you were to pick a right fight for Kurt Walker at this time, Lyon Woodstock ticks a lot of boxes and is exactly who he is tasked with facing at the SSE Arena on Saturday night.

Walker had won all 11 of his pro contests to date including and seems to be getting better with each performance.

Momentum stalled last year following his victory over James Beech Jr and none of them his fault with opponent pull-outs, but facing a seasoned and hungry Woodstock is exactly the type of test that will show where he stands and can open the door to bigger opportunities.

His 31-year-old opponent has been on a four-fight winning run since losing in a British super-featherweight challenge to Anthony Cacace in 2021.

The Leicester man has lost three in 19 outings, with the other defeats to former world title challenger Zelfa Barrett and Archie Sharp, so it has only succumbed to top-level opposition.

This will be a very good indicator of where Walker stands and he ought to be tested with ‘The Lion’ fighting to save his own career as a loss in Belfast will almost certainly spell the end of any title ambitions.

“He will come to fight as see it as an opportunity to get himself back in (to contention) fighting live on DAZN on a big show,” Walker agreed.

“He’ll be very confident and I know he lives in the gym, so he’ll be very fit, but I just think I’ll be too good for him. I’m too young; I’m fresh and he’s not, so he suits me down to the ground.

“They are the boys who have the most fire in their belly as they have one chance left and need to fight their way out of it.

“I know it is going to be tough, but I’ve put the training in and I know that on his best day, he can’t beat me on my best day.”

Despite a breakout performance 11 months ago, the remainder of 2024 turned into a write-off for Walker.

That seventh-round stoppage of Beech Jr saw him produce his best performance to date in what was a step up in class.

He was due to box again in August but opponent pull-outs left him without a dance partner and then in November, he was set to face Rudy Garcia only for the American to fail his medical on the eve of battle.

Instead of cursing his luck, the Tokyo Olympian took the positives and even though he didn’t get the opportunity to perform under the lights, he feels the work behind the scenes has made him a much more rounded fighter.

“It’s all the same procedure,” he said of the preparation.

“All of the training I did for the last two has done me the world of good, even though the fights didn’t happen.

“I would have liked to be further (along) but that’s just the way boxing goes. A lot worse has happened to other people, but I’m still unbeaten and can’t complain. I’m very confident there will be big fights this year.”

If March 1 is Walker’s best, he insists it’s only going to get better in the year ahead. He came into the professional code in his mid-20s and despite fight night being just a few days short of his 30th birthday, he feels he is only getting started.

There hasn’t been much wear and tear in his 11 contests to date, so the ascent is only now beginning and a dazzling performance on such a big stage would be the perfect way to announce he is ready to kick on.

“I really don’t think I’ve come into my prime yet as it feels I’m getting better, which is mad because I’ve been doing it so long,” he said of his career that included a lengthy spell as a top-class amateur.

“I feel fresh, feel like I’m getting stronger and everything is clicking. The way I’m going now, I feel like I could go on to 45. I don’t want to, but I’m nearly 30 and it just feels like I’m not even halfway there (peak) yet.

“In this fight, I want to showcase what I have and make easy work of this guy to show the level I’m at.”