As he prepares for his return to the boxing ring tonight after 11 months away, Barrow featherweight Ross ‘The Boss’ Cooksey believes he has learned a lot in a short space of time under new trainer Johnney Roye.

Cooksey is unbeaten in six professional fights, with the last of those coming in August of last year when he earned a points victory over Elvis Guillen at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Forum.

It turned out to his final fight under the team of Jimmy and Steve Egan, as he has since signed up with MTK Global as well as starting up a family, with his fiancee giving birth to their first child earlier in the year.

At Roye’s gym in Preston, Cooksey is able to train alongside his fellow Barrovians Mike McGoldrick and Liam Conroy and the 26-year-old believes his new team can take his career to new heights.

Cooksey said: “I’ve been coming down to Preston with all the lads from Barrow and it’s been good.

“The training style is a lot different to what I’ve been used to. I’ve been under good coaches in the past - mainly come-forward-style coaches, whereas Johnney Roye is quite technical and he gets you boxing and moving, which I suppose is the way it’s meant to be.

“I just knew how much he’s transformed Liam’s career from when he moved to him and I’ve watched Liam go from strength to strength and obviously Mike McGoldrick has gone there and done well for himself as well, getting three wins out of three.

“I’ve been quite surprised with how much I’m enjoying it and how much knowledge he’s passing on.”

Cooksey only found out this week that he would be facing Ricky Leach from Westbrook, Kent in what will be a four-round contest at Bolton’s Macron Stadium.

He insists, however, that finding out his opponent at such short notice won’t affect him in any way.

“I had 57 amateur fights and if I’m being honest, unless you were having a rematch with them, you didn’t really know their style, so you just had to go in and figure it out then.

“I’ve done it over and over again, so it doesn’t really faze me that I don’t know anything about him.

“This is probably the longest gap that I’ve ever had off, even as an amateur, but I’m not fazed by that and I’m just looking forward to getting back in.

“I think I’ll box well on the night and I’m feeling confident, so it will be good to be back out.”

Ahead of the bout, Cooksey wishes to thank his sponsors Schofield Construction, Eden Property Lettings and Management, The Bakery, Nuffield Health and JD Comps.