Carl Walker in training for the big fight on 17 July

We’re seven weeks in and that means that there’s not long left at all before we reach fight night.

It’s been a tough few weeks, especially with the warm weather up at the excellent South Hill boxing gym. But as coach Allan Murray said the other session: ‘It’s not the fight on the night that’s the big achievement…it’s completing the ten weeks of training.’

And that couldn’t be truer. It has been a long and difficult slog (particularly Sunday mornings) but the difference between this and any other sort of training I’ve endured over the years is that everyone enjoys it. In fact, almost everyone turns up for training early…now where would you find that?

Since my last posting, we’ve endured the dreaded sand dunes. I think that was my fault for bringing them up in one of my earlier blogs. Nevertheless, the group did its best to haul itself up and down some of the biggest dunes in St Ouen. There were some annoyingly fit people and some pretty slow people (like me) trundling along at the back.

Back in the gym, the excellent coaches are now getting to know our strong and weak points and working on them accordingly. But still the big problem for me (apart from my impending wedding and the cries of ‘you must be mad’ from my friends, family and in particular my fiancée) is willingly hitting someone else in the face. You might think that I am being soft, but to get into the ring and spar with someone who has become your new friend and training partner over the last six weeks in pretty difficult.

However, the more we do it, the more we are getting use to it.

Oh, I nearly forgot. Ben Murray has stopped me skipping like a girl. I’m not saying I’m any good, but at least I can finally do it.

• The fight is on 18 July at the Hotel de France and is in aid of the Teenager Cancer Trust