BRADLEY SAUNDERS returns to the ring in Hull tomorrow night, but the County Durham fighter is already looking ahead to what could be a career-defining contest in Newcastle next month.

Saunders takes on Frenchman Stephane Benito at Hull Ice Arena as part of a bill that will be topped by local favourites Tommy Coyle and Luke Campbell, but the fight is little more than a glorified warm-up for his eagerly-awaited Commonwealth Light Welterweight title showdown with Dave Ryan at the Metro Radio Arena on April 11.

That fight will see Sedgefield’s Saunders take on the biggest test of his professional career to date, with Ryan having claimed the Commonwealth title when he upset the highly-regarded Tyrone Nurse in Leeds in October.

“I can’t wait for the fight with Ryan,” said Saunders, who now spends most of his time at his full-time base in Marbella. “We’ve sold 60-odd grand’s worth of tickets already – it’s going to be massive, but this fight (against Benito) is really important to dust off any ring-rust. I need it for the fight against Dave.

“It’s a 50-50 fight in my book. He has a lot more pro experience than me and he’s beaten better fighters than I’ve boxed. Dave put Nurse down twice and he’s beaten Paul McCloskey, who challenged for Amir Khan’s world title. I wanted to beat McCloskey as well, but sadly he pulled out injured.

“It's the biggest step up of my career. The man has beaten better people than I've boxed, so it’s a massive, massive fight but I'm on track.

“It would mean the world to me, and the fans know it – I did 2,000 tickets the first day they went on sale. I wouldn't like to say how many other thousands have gone and it's nice to have the North-East behind me.”

Tomorrow’s contest should not extend Saunders too much, with 35-year-old Benito having lost 18 of his 43 contests during a professional career that began in 2000.

It will enable the North-Easterner to cement his relationship with his new trainer, Oliver Harrison, who has overseen the unbeaten 29-year-old’s preparations in his Salford gym.

“Oliver is second to none,” said Saunders. “He's worked with the likes of Amir Khan and Martin Murray and he's a proven world-class coach. I am at a level now where the little tweaks and the little changes you make are all the difference at the top, top level. Working with Oliver is the step that I need to reach my peak.

“I stayed in the gym over Christmas so I am 100 per cent ready for the fight with Dave, and this gives me the chance to work on a few things.

“This time next year I expect to be knocking on the door of a world title, that's realistic. I've been in with some good names and have done my job with ease. I don’t know much about Benito to be honest, I’ll just leave that to Oliver and do whatever he feels I should.

“I’m a lot better than I was in the last fight (against Ivan Levickis). I’m fitter and I’m used to Oliver now, so this is like the first step of many, hopefully. People will get a shock when they watch me - they will see an even better Bradley Saunders.”