Kyle Williams coming on for his ring return

Williams laces on the gloves again for his second paid bout on Tommy Owens' bill in the Holte Suite at Aston Villa Football Club on Friday night,

His first outing at Walsall Town Hall in March proved a rocky ride, having to box the last two of the four rounds with swelling and a huge gash above his left eye.

The 24-year-old bantamweight from Whitmore Reans battled on to drop just a share of the session, against an experienced foe in Anwar Alfadli.

Now the former world kickboxing champion has recovered to engage in another four-round affair with the never-stopped Ian Halsall.

He continue to work as an instructor at Fran Zuccala's Eclipse Kickboxing & Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Wolverhampton city centre.

The second dan black belt teaches children, teenagers and adults at the same venue where he first learned his own skills since the age of six.

He won the ICU featherweight title in his former calling and challenged for the ISKA European crown. His boxing training comes under Tyler Shakespeare, another to have made the change.

Williams feels he's come on leaps and bounds in the gym, after a nervous debut, and feels relaxed ahead of fight night.

He said: "They are two different sports and it's about adapting. I wouldn't tell anyone kickboxing is any easier or harder.

"There was a lot of pressure on me for my first fight and, now that's out of the way, I feel a lot more relaxed now.

"I was very anxious to impress, I've enjoyed this camp a lot more and I feel it's improved me by another 20 per cent.

"I've got an opponent that boxes very well behind his jab, so it's about getting past that and I can't wait to show the things we've been working on."

Williams had to defend and attack in equal measure against a determined Alfadli, who smelled blood after slicing him open.

The ring doctor was called to the ring to examine a wound that was ruled to have been caused by a punch, with the wily Kuwait-born journeyman from Sheffield coming after him from there.

Williams recalled: "It was a story to tell! Anwar is a good lad, he's very tricky and caught me with a good shot to the eye. It's healed well, though, and I'm ready to go again.

"It was very competitive, which is what you want. I don't need people to stand in front of me and be a punch bag.

"He came and made the fight hard for me, so I learned a lot on the job. That wouldn't have happened without being tested."

Tickets are still available for the show at Villa. For more information, call promoter Tommy Owens on 07967 166 643.