Sam Couzens has lit the blue touch paper for his rematch with Chris Hobbs by insisting he didn’t underestimate his opponent in their drawn first fight – he just didn’t train for it.

The Titchfield light heavyweight will have a highly anticipated second bout against his Southampton counterpart at the Pyramids Centre at Portsmouth on December 5, as the pair aim to settle the score between them once and for all.

After the first encounter Hobbs suggested that Couzens may have underestimated him and that he had learned he could hurt his more experienced opponent.

Couzens disputes this and insists that Hobbs will face a very different challenge this time out – a fighter who has prepared properly.

“He knows the facts as well as his trainer and it will be different this time,” said Couzens.

“I didn’t underestimate him, I didn’t train for it properly.

“In those last four weeks I was in Majorca drinking sangria at 9am.

“I was still eating Chinese and sausage rolls while he was drinking his green tea.

“His trainer knows that because he saw me out on the beers and grassed me up to my trainer.

“I even hurt my shoulder in the first round of the last fight and so fighting me when I only had one arm and hadn’t prepared he still only got a draw.

“They were happy with that result but they should only have been happy if they got me at my best, but they got me at my worst.

“I watched it back and I don’t think he deserved a draw.

“He also said he learned that I can’t hurt him but he can hurt me. That’s crazy because I’m always involved in blood baths and wars and I came out of that fight looking like I was fresh from a modelling job – that shows how little he hurt me.”

The fight is certainly shaping up to be an intriguing encounter, with both men adamant that they will be the one to grab the victory second time around.

“There are no excuses from me, I never talk bad about opponents but I wanted to say this as it is just stating the facts after I read what they had been saying,” explained Couzens.

“They were happy with that draw but I’m training hard now, my shoulder is on the mend and I will be coming in at 12st 4lbs or 12st 5lbs.

“I will beat him and stop him to let them know they were delusional.”