WHEN Stuart Hall returns to the ring in Newcastle tonight there will be two things driving him on. First he would love to prove that at 38 there is life in the older hands yet, but secondly the mention of the McDonnell name still gets him going.

It is seven years since Darlington’s former world bantamweight champion was unable to beat Jamie McDonnell in Doncaster, and he’s dreamed of a night when he could put that reversal to bed in a rematch ever since.

When Jamie’s twin brother Gavin enters the ring with Hall in the North-East, there is no disputing that the man from County Durham would love to get one over the McDonnell name – and who knows, potentially, finally lead to that second contest with Jamie.

Hall said: “If I beat Gavin here then Jamie might move up, which he has been talking about, and then maybe he can come and take me on.

“I really want to win this fight, so at least I can say I beat one of them because I have been chasing Jamie for years and he keeps running off.

“If I beat Gavin here then maybe Jamie might fight me. That’s still an aim of mine even at 38. The rematch is still there in my mind and if I beat his brother then it will be even closer.”

Hall’s last appearance ended in frustration in September last year. He lost to Paul Butler in a WBA bantamweight world title eliminator in Liverpool unanimously on points.

Given his age, Hall could have been forgiven for calling it a day having also lost to Butler in June 2014 over the IBF bantamweight crown – few felt the man from Darlington would recover. Try telling him that, as he heads into this super-bantamweight contest firmly believing he has what it takes to keep going.

Hall said: “People keep saying this could be the end, but who knows … this could be the start of Stuey Hall, the super-bantamweight. All I hear is ‘towards the end of his career’ but this could be the start.

“That’s the way I am looking at it. I am not looking at it as though I am towards the end. I want to win the fight like any normal fight.

“I keep going about learning stuff and I have a new strength coach from Darlington, Steve McLean, from the Paragon gym, who is doing my nutrition and strength work.

“Wait until you see me, I have kept it all hidden. I hardly had any weight to lose, maybe a couple of pounds, but I have never been like this.

“I have been sparring with top kids - 15 years younger than me. I have had top sparring, with super-bantamweight British champion Tommy Ward. He is 15 years younger than me. If you walked into that gym you wouldn’t think he was 15 years younger than me.

“My strength coach says conditioning wise I’m like a 27-year-old. I am listening to them. I have a funny feeling the McDonnell camp are under estimating me.”

Hall, six years old than his opponent, has lost six of his 29 fights, McDonnell has lost one of his 22. Rather than stay in his South Yorkshire roots to concentrate on his training programme, Hall claims there has been a sense of his opponent taking things lighter than he should have been.

Hall said: “I see him jet-setting around the world, getting jet-lagged, hotel to hotel, then coming back for a week and a half’s training before fight week.

“When he got back from Japan I said we won’t hear anything from him on Twitter until he feels normal after jet-lag. Nothing went on and then six days later he said ‘I am on fire’.

“I thought ‘yeah ‘cos you have finally got your sleep pattern right’. Ten hours on the plane and he will be knackered. I know he will be in good shape though because he always is but I am in great shape. He will know from the first round, everyone will, that this is going to be a great fight.”

After the disappointment of losing to Butler, Hall could have packed in. He said: “Do you know how long I have been training for this? I have had a 15-week camp, hard and solid.

“My last fight with Butler, I did a lot of things wrong and I didn’t want to leave the sport on that. A good win here and it might be just the start. I want to finish on a high.

“I might win this fight and call it a day but I might win this and go to the next one, and maybe fight Jamie.

“I am working with Peter Shepherdson this time as well, he is teaching me different things. Against Butler I was falling in, I have to try to hold my feet more to get my shots off. I am up for this, listen, I am. I can’t wait.”

McDonnell is defending his WBC International super-bantamweight title against Hall, while Charlie Edwards and Anthony Nelson meet for the vacant WBA Continental Super-Flyweight on the same show.

Arfan Iqbal defends his English Cruiserweight belt against Middlesbrough’s Simon Vallily as well as the main events involving Josh Kelly and Lewis Ritson.