SHAYNE Singleton admitted he felt like packing the fight game in when he heard his eagerly anticipated British Welterweight showdown with Bradley Skeete had been cancelled.

The Colne fighter was in the shape of his life for his scheduled meeting with Skeete in Cardiff tonight after a 14 week camp, but when he saw the name of his promoter Steve Wood flash up on his phone nine days ago he immediately feared the worst.

It was the second time this year Singleton had missed out on a major fight at late notice, with his January showdown with John O'Donnell at London's O2 Arena, as chief support for David Haye, pulled late on.

"I felt like packing it in on the spot. I’d put everything into it for 14 weeks for that one night and I was just a week away, everything was ready, my fitness was spot on, I’d never felt as good as the week before the fight," the 27-year-old said.

"I went from a massive high to a massive low in the space of a 15 second phone call.

"When the phone rang and I saw it was Steve Wood I feared the worst. When I get a phone call off Steve when it’s nearly fight time I always fear the worst, I feel like it’s going to be a problem."

Singleton's Cardiff showdown with champion Skeete - who is ranked sixth by the WBO and seventh by the IBF - collapsed when Billy Joe Saunders and Liam Williams pulled out of the bill.

But it has now been rearranged for November 25 when it will headline a BoxNation bill in Brentwood, Essex.

Singleton said Skeete refused the chance to fight in Wood's own BoxNation bill in Bolton tonight, and instead the Colne pugilist will fight at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester in a six-round contest against a European opponent.

"It will keep my busy and it will get me the fight I needed for that night," Singleton said of tonight's contest.

"We’ve struggled to get an opponent from the UK so we’ll have to find somebody from abroad and fly them in last minute. I need to burn off the training I’ve done for the last 14 weeks, it will give me the mental boost for November 25."

Of the Skeete fight now taking place near the champion's home town, he added: "I’m happy it’s near his home, I’m looking forward to getting booed into the ring and then knocking him out in front of his own fans.

"That will be a better feeling than beating him in Cardiff when we’d have split support. He’s going to fill it out at Brentwood."