Guess the last things Tyrone Nurse will eat before stepping in the ring for his British title defence?

You might be struggling to come up with a big bag of Skittles and a glass of beetroot juice, but that’s the answer!

It’s been part of the 26-year-old’s pre-fight routine since he was an amateur and he has no intention of changing it now.

Nor does he intend to change allowing partner Leah to kiss his fists when he has had them wrapped before putting on his gloves.

Skittles - favourite pre-fight snack for boxer Tyrone Nurse
Skittles - favourite pre-fight snack for boxer Tyrone Nurse

Nurse, who trains under dad Chris Aston at Linthwaite’s Northern Fitness Gym, makes a second defence of his British light-welterweight title against Hull’s Tommy Coyle at Leeds Arena on Saturday night.

He is now in the final throes of his best ever training camp and aiming to add the scalp of Coyle to those of Chris Jenkins and Willie Limond on the big Sky TV bill.

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“As an amateur I always had Skittles before a fight and I’ve carried it all the way through to now,” said Nurse, who took delivery of a Nissan Juke on Monday for Leah and baby daughter Penelope.

“A big bag of Skittles as well, that’s what I’m talking about, and they’ll be the last thing I eat.

“I also drink beetroot juice, because it’s supposed to double your oxygen and all that jazz – lots of benefits.”

The NHS do trumpet beetroot juice as a healthy food, but stop short of calling it a ‘superfood’.

They report: “Beetroot is a good source of iron and folate (naturally occurring folic acid).

“It also contains nitrates, betaine, magnesium and other antioxidants (notably betacyanin).

“More recent health claims suggest beetroot can help lower blood pressure, boost exercise performance and prevent dementia.”

Boxer Tyrone Nurse in training for his title fight at his gym in Linthwaite.

Nurse is happy just to drink it and, as for the Skittles, he just likes them!

A public workout in Leeds has been the latest element of Nurse’s build-up, to add to sparring sessions with Spanish fighter Nicolas Gonzalez and Barnsley’s Andy Townend, who will fight Martin Ward for the vacant British super-featherweight title in London in September.

“We’ve had a good build-up and then it’s all about taking it into fight night, with the press conferences to come on Thursday,” added Nurse.

“I’m not looking at the odds or being the favourite, I just know I am ready to go and ready to defend a belt which means the world to me.

“You never imagine you might have the chance to win a Lonsdale Belt and this one has got only my name on it.

“With three notches on there (after a win against Coyle) I would just need the one more (to win the belt outright).”

Time Line

Tyrone Nurse's training regime

  1. Day 1

    • Two-hour strength and conditioning
    • One hour heavy weight training
    • One hour light weight training
    • 20 minutes abductor work
  2. Day 2

    • 90 minutes yoga
    • 30 minutes cardio work at Northern Fitness
    • Two-hour boxing training session (pads, bags, shadow boxing, skipping)
  3. Day 3

    • One-hour strength and conditioning circuit
    • 20-minute run on machine
    • Two hour boxing training session (pads, bags, shadow boxing, skipping)
  4. Day 4

    • Six-mile run
  5. Day 5

    • Sparring with Spanish champion
    • 20-minute skipping
    • Eight rounds of three minutes sparring (30 seconds rest between rounds)
    • Four rounds of bag work
    • 40 minutes of general fitness work
    • Four rounds of shadow boxing
  6. Day 6

    • Rest
  7. Day 7

    • 20 minutes of skipping
    • Eight rounds of sparring (three-minute rounds, 30-second breaks between)
    • Four rounds of bag work
    • Four rounds shadow boxing
    • 90 minutes of cardio work on Northern Fitness machines
  8. Day 8

    • Six-mile run
  9. Day 9

    • 20 minutes of skipping
    • 10 rounds of sparring (three minutes each, 30 seconds in between)
    • Four rounds of bag work
    • Two rounds of shadow boxing
    • 90 minutes of yoga (afternoon)
    • Four-mile run (evening)
  10. Day 10

    • Two-hour strength and conditioning training
    • One hour heavy weight training
    • One hour light weight training
    • 20 minutes abductor work
    • Two hours boxing training (evening)
  11. Day 11

    • 90 minutes of yoga
    • One hour cardio work at Northern Fitness
  12. Day 12

    • 20 minutes skipping
    • 10 rounds of sparring (three minutes each, 30 seconds in between)
    • Two rounds of bag work
    • Four rounds of shadow boxing
    • 20 minutes abductor work
    • 20 minutes of skipping
  13. Day 13

    • Rest
  14. Day 14

    • 20 minutes skipping
    • Six rounds of sparring
    • Two rounds of bag work
    • Two rounds of pad work
    • Two rounds of shadow boxing
    • Two hours of boxing training (evening)