BOXING trainer Stephen Melton has revealed plans for Michael Fafera to go abroad in his next training camp as the pair look to kick in 2020.

Fafera currently has six wins from as many professional fights and returns to the ring for the first time this year at Leeds' Elland Road Pavilion on Friday, March 6.

Having been a professional since September 2018, Fafera took his first extended break from training with a trip to the Philippines last month, with an offer to travel to Portugal arising in the meantime.

While Fafera and Melton were unable to take up that particular offer, the trainer expanded on his plans to take the 25-year-old away from York for part of their warm-up later this year.

"We're hoping to have a camp abroad sometime this year," said Melton.

"We've had an offer from someone to come over to Portugal and train out there. But Mikey was obviously away in the Philippines so the dates just didn't work.

"It'd be great to go over to MTK Marbella or to Tenerife and to do a couple of weeks there.

"It just means that we can get away from everything and do some altitude training.

"We'll struggle to do that for this camp, so we'll look to do it in the next camp.

"There's sparring available over there. I've been to the MTK gym before and they've got some great guys over there.

"I'll be able to organise some top-end sparring while we're over there.

"If you go there, you're going just to train and you'll be away from all of your home comforts too.

"Whereas if you're at home, there's things that can sideline or distract you.

Melton was unsure on whether Fafera would be fighting his in last four-rounder or first six-rounder on March 6, but he sees 2020 as being a significant one in the boxer's development.

"We'll be moving up to six rounders soon and we'll see what this year holds," he added.

"We want to push on and, if everything does go to plan, then hopefully we'll have a shot at some sort of title by the end of the year.

"We had an opportunity to make a step up last year, but we weren't ready for it, so we turned it down. There's no point rushing things."

In order to push on, the pair will be aiming for a marked improvement upon his last display, which saw him dropped in the third round before prevailing by a single point over Raimonds Sniedze back in November.

The key to success, in Melton's eyes, is for Fafera to stick to his basics.

"If you're able to take something away from every single fight and camp that you have, then you're doing something right," he said.

"We never think that a camp or a fight has gone perfectly, because there's always something to work on.

"If you go back one fight, against Darryl Sharp, Mikey boxed brilliantly.

"He didn't get involved, he stayed on the outside and stayed behind his nice long jab.

"He uses that jab great during his sparring and when he's on the pads.

"Then he sometimes turn offs in fights. It's about sticking to those simple straight shots. To win fights, you don't need to get into a tear-up.

"He needs to realise that he's a rangy fighter and it's about using those skills."

l To contact Stephen Melton for tickets or sponsorship, call him on: 07943 453638.