Islington lightweight ‘Mustard’ Mike Peart knows he cannot afford to be impatient as he prepares for the first six-round contest of his professional career.

Peart is lined up to box on the Goodwin Sports show at York Hall a week on Saturday, when he faces Ulsterman Alec Bazza, who has been stopped only twice in his 14 previous fights.

Although the Islington boxer is keen to impress after losing more than a year of his career to illness, he admits that gaining experience and picking up his third victory are very much his priorities.

“I’ve got a bit of time to make up and I want to be as active as possible – but realistic as well,” Peart told the Gazette. “You can’t go out and fight every weekend, you need to heal and recover.

“Smart fighters are the best fighters and I don’t believe in going out there to brawl. At this stage of my career I just want to get home safe with my win.

“I do truly believe I can stop him, but I’m preparing to go six rounds and if the stoppage comes, it comes. It’s going to get to a stage where you just want to get in and out, but at the moment I’m not too bothered about that.

“For me the most important thing is to be back fighting and I’m looking forward to my first six-rounder. I’m training hard and I’m ready to make everyone proud.”

The 28-year-old southpaw turned over in 2014 but, just weeks after his professional debut, he fell ill with reactive arthritis, which left him drained and incapacitated.

However, Peart recovered to make his comeback in September with a points victory over Danail Stanoev – and he is confident that he now has sufficient stamina to go six rounds if necessary.

“I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t ok,” added Peart, who divides his training between Rod Julian at RJ’s Gym, Chingford, and Shoreditch-based Mickey Cunningham.

“I still can’t run but I make up for it in other ways – I swim when I can and I get my rounds out in sparring. Having had the illness is even more motivation for me.”

For information about tickets for the show, contact Mike via twitter (@mustard_mike1), facebook or instagram (@mustard_mike).