LIAM Conroy believes his experience will give him the edge over Joshua Buatsi when the two eventually meet to battle it out for the British light-heavyweight title.

The Barrow boxer earned the spot as mandatory challenger for the Lonsdale belt after stopping Miles Shinkwin to successfully defend the English title last March, with 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist Buatsi his opponent now Callum Smith has vacated the title.

Buatsi has made an impressive start to his professional career, being unbeaten in nine contests with seven of those finishing inside the distance. However, Conroy (16-3-1) has won his last nine bouts too.

The 26-year-old Barrow ABC product is on a run of five straight stoppages and is in no doubt he will pose a very different test to any of the Croydon man’s prior opponents thanks to the various ups and downs he has experienced since turning professional nearly seven years ago.

“You can’t take away from his performances and he’s done about as well as he could have,” said Conroy.

“But a lot of them, to me, have looked beaten when they’ve got in there and I don’t think many of them have experienced what I have experienced.

“There is not much I haven’t experienced in a professional boxing ring now, so I feel like it’s good timing for me and possibly a bit early for him.

“I’ve just said ‘let’s do it’ and we’re just sorting a show for it.”

The British Boxing Board of Control have set a deadline of February 13 for purse bids for the contest to be submitted, with the showdown to take place before the end of May this year.

The 12-rounder will be Conroy’s first bout since beating Shinkwin last year, with surgery on a hernia keeping him sidelined for much of 2018 followed by a hand injury forcing him to pull out of a four-round contest in Manchester last month.

Nevertheless, he feels ready to go straight into a full-length championship contest and does not see the benefit of having a tune-up bout ahead of something he has worked for since he first joined the pro ranks.

“I don’t feel like I need a warm-up fight,” said Conroy. “I can do without one and I don’t think one will do anything for me.

“I get quality sparring at the gym, so I don’t really feel the benefit.

“I just want to be in with top-quality boxers and Josh Buatsi is one of them, and they are the only fights I want in my career now.

“A couple of people suggested to me to have a fight first, but I don’t feel I need one. I’ve got enough to go in there and win a British title.”