“I know that when I’ve got someone hurt, I’ve got to finish the job.” That’s Ryan Charles’ message as he finalises his preparations for his next fight.

The Edmonton boxer is set to face Colin Goldhawk in his sixth professional bout at Bethnal Green’s famous York Hall on Saturday, May 25.

The heavyweight boxer may have just five recorded fights under his belt on the pro circuit, but the 32-year-old is certainly not short of experience in the sport after appearances at the Commonwealth Games, Amateur World Championships and even the qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympics.

And the experiences that he’s gained from these big tournaments have only served to make him more knowledgeable and more confident as he adds fights to his record.

Charles said: “I think they [the previous tournaments] were very vital because in those competitions you’re fighting against the best of the best. I was boxing against guys that were way more experienced than me; guys that had been to the Olympics and won medals at the Pan-American Games or the World Championships.

“In the amateurs, doing all those international bouts, I think it was like an apprenticeship for me. It prepared me for the pros so that I’m ready to face anything and anyone.”

Fighting under the Saint Lucian flag at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Charles came agonisingly close to achieving a medal in his bout with Australia’s Jordan Samardali, but those hopes were snatched away by a controversial decision that saw his opponent awarded the fight.

Although obviously angered by the decision at the time, Charles said he has come to terms with it and in some ways is happy that it happened because it only increased his determination to turn professional.

He said: “I know for a fact that if that bout had been done on pro-scoring I’d have won. If you knock someone down it automatically becomes a 10-8 round and if you knock them down twice, which I did, then it becomes a 10-7 round.

“It definitely made me more determined to turn pro. I did take a little break after because it kind of left me in a bad place but it’s made me more determined and now I know that when I’ve got someone hurt, I’ve got to finish the job.”

That’s something he’s certainly been doing so far with five wins from five in his professional career which started against Ferenc Zsalek in April 2018. He has also come up against Phil Williams twice, Taha Mirhosseini and, most recently, Miles Willington.

Next up, though, will be Colin Goldhawk of Hoddesdon on Saturday, May 25 who has lost four consecutive fights after wins in his opening two. This won’t let Charles treat his counterpart any different though and his preparation will remain the same as with any other fight.

He said: “I definitely won’t be taking him lightly. This is heavyweight boxing so all it takes is one punch. I’m going to treat it like he’s any other opponent. I’ve just got to make sure I’m prepared, keep my hands up and box, and get the win.

“With me, I don’t really like to study opponents too much. I prefer to figure them out when I get in there. I’ve got things that I’m working on but I like to keep them to myself until the end of the day and then hopefully execute them on the day too.

“I’ve been training hard for a long time now. I think all of the work that I’ve put in is showing and towards the end of the year I want to push towards titles like the Southern Area and move on from there.”