Joe Pigford is set for a first Southampton fight for two-and-a-half years as he aims to get his boxing career back on track.

Pigford, who has relocated to Manchester, will be cheered on by a sell-out home-town crowd on Saturday night.

The 25-year-old super-welterweight meets Adam Grabiec at the Novotel – and the chances are the fight won’t go the full eight rounds.

Pigford has beaten his last 11 opponents inside the distance – and says the KOs come naturally to him.

He said: “I’ve been knocking people out ever since I started boxing.

“I started when I was 12 or 13 and I stopped my first five opponents. Not many others were doing that.

“I ended up having 30 amateurs and 20 or more ended by knock out.

“It’s something I was born with. It’s natural. You can enhance your power, but I’ve never heard of anyone who doesn’t get knockouts and then starts flattening everyone.

“You get fighters who get more stoppages over the longer distances because they have more time to break them down, but the truth is, you can either punch or you can’t.

“People like to see knockouts and that’s good for me. It helps sell tickets.”

Pigford says he’s added to his boxing since relocating to Ricky Hatton’s gym in Hyde, Greater Manchester, and that sooner rather than later, he will be stepping up to championship level.

Some boxing viewers will remember Pigford gunning down Aaron Morgan in a five-round thriller two years ago and he’s planning to make a return to the big stage.

“This should be my last fight before I have some more big ones,” he said. “There’s a title fight in the pipeline. But I just have to get my head down and keep winning. I need to get Saturday out of the way first.

"I’m buzzing to be fighting in Southampton again. I’ve sold all my tickets and I think all the other fighters’ supporters will know me as well and get behind me.

"The atmosphere should be amazing and it could be the last time I box in Southampton for a while.”