Symonds joined Mickey Helliet’s stable after three straight losses and has gone on to win the Southern Area welterweight championship.
He defends his belt against Bradley Skeete in what could be the fight of the night on the massive ‘Three Kings’ show at The ExCel Arena on Saturday night and says the Penge slickster won’t wreck his plans to win major honours in 2013.
Skeete was a top amateur – he was beaten by Ronnie Heffron in the 2010 ABA welterweight final – and takes the step up to championship level after nine straight wins.
Symonds hasn’t been impressed by what he’s seen of Skeete – and has cranked up the pressure in the countdown to the 10-round fight.
“Skeete isn’t as good as people think he is – and this has come too soon for him,” he said.
“He’s trying to run before he can walk. I know he reached the ABA final – but so what ?
Ronnie Heffron beat him in the final and look what Denton Vassell did to him the other week.
I’m 100 per-cent confident I’m going to keep my belt and move on to bigger things.
If I don’t knock him out, his corner will pull him out. I know he’s tall and I know what I’ve got to do.
I’m sure he will have a game plan of his own – until I smack him on the jaw !”
