Lewis Ritson is delighted to be back fighting in front of fans this weekend. Last time out, the popular Newcastle man fought in an empty arena and was extremely fortunate to get a decision against Mexican veteran, Miguel Vazquez.
Now with supporters back cheering him on, Ritson has the chance to put the Vazquez performance against him as he faces Jeremias Ponce in an eliminator the WBA super-lightweight title.
The fight, being screened in multiple regions on DAZN, could open lucrative doors for Ritson with Scotland’s Josh Taylor currently occupying the top spot at 140lbs.
With Taylor a realistic target, Ritson must put the future aside and concentrate on the immediate threat that Argentina's Ponce will provide.
The South American arrives in England protecting an undefeated record and he’ll be confident of causing a decent upset. Ritson is banking on the support of his home crowd to make a big difference.
“It’s just a buzz to be back, especially with the crowds,” said Ritson. “Even with 1,000 in there, the place will be jumping for the ring walk. That’s what I need to get me up for these fights. I can’t wait for the fans to be back shouting and cheering.
“Before the Vazquez fight, I was saying that it wouldn’t make much of a difference, but you actually don’t really know that until you get in there. I missed my fans massively, so I’m glad that they’ll be back. They’ll give me that extra push.
"I'm fully focused on Ponce. We’ve got to make sure that we beat him and beat him well. We know what he’s coming to do and he’s coming to win. He’s coming to have a go. Stylistically he’s a bit like me – good jab, throws to the body and stands in front of you. If it goes like we think, then it’s going to be a very crowd-pleasing fight and a hard night.
"He could be one of those undiscovered gems out of Argentina. We’re not taking him lightly, we’ve seen the South Americans come over, one beat my mate Robbie [Davies Jr], there’s a few that have upset the applecart, so we’ve got to make sure that we’re on the ball and it doesn’t happen to us.”
Lewis Ritson vs. Jeremias Ponce is live this Saturday night in all DAZN regions except U.K.,Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and China. To subscribe to DAZN. Click here