“Championship boxing is a mindset, it is not about who trains the hardest or who lifts the heaviest weights, you have to enjoy yourself. If you don’t enjoy yourself then the sport becomes too serious and you end up losing.”

The Mancunian also spoke of an occasion where he drank a remarkable 15 pints of beer before heading into the ring for a sparring session with top heavyweight fighters.

He added: “I have often had 15 pints before 15 rounds of sparring and still smashed f*** out of somebody, if I am lying then God can strike me down.

“I remember one night I had 14 pints of Fosters and then sparred three top-ten heavyweights – and battered them all – that’s because I don’t take it all too seriously.”