Last month iron man Terry McDermott retained his EBF Northern area title at Park Hall against Illy Walibhai.

The 28-year-old thought he tore ligaments in his right hand in the first round of his sell-out bout but scans have now revealed he actually suffered a break.

Terry explained: "My injury meant I could only jab using my left hand although I still threw two or three punches a round using my broken right hand. However, I still managed to put Illy on the canvas in the fourth round of the fight."

The Chorley boxer has not been defeated in 18 months and has stretched his record to an impressive 15 wins from 17 bouts.

He attributes his recent success to the harsh regime of his trainer Ray Jennings, who is also the father of world boxing champ Michael Jennings.

He said: "Since Ray started training me, I have improved 100 per cent.

He has been fantastic because he always pushes me to my limits."

The talented fighter may literally have a hand tied behind his back because of his injury after stepping back in the ring ahead of his next fight in June.

He said: "I am still not able to punch with my right hand yet so the training is a little different. I remain 150 per cent confident that when June 14 comes around, I will be ready for my next challenge.

"My fight will be held at Park Hall, Chorley, and will undoubtedly be a sell-out because people are so interesting in my progress as a boxer.

"Their interest motivates me, and in my eyes shows that I am improving all the time. The big goal is just to keep winning, and by Christmas I hope to be going for bigger belts against tougher opponents."

Trainer Ray's son Michael is a regular visitor to ringside, and Terry has the 'utmost respect' for the boxer. He commented: "I never miss a chance to watch Mick fight. He is a fantastic inspiration and I learn a lot from his bouts.

"We have been friends for a long time now and he watches all my fights. His presence spurs me on all the more."

His next fight will be on June 14 at Park Hall.

He's already on the provisonal undercard for a fight at Christmas in Blackpool in a contest involving former World Boxing heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe.