The Collyhurst and Moston gym is usually empty on a Saturday lunchtime. It certainly is by the time Zelfa Barrett arrives to break a light sweat before a busy fight week begins.

The 31 year-old junior lightweight skips and shadow boxes while he happily chats away about anything and everything

Once he is happy with his day’s work, he locks up the famous old gym which is situated above a convenience store in one of the tougher parts of Manchester and makes his way home.

This final, low key Saturday session has become something of a tradition over the years but Barrett, 31-2 (17 KOs), is in the same gym, at the same time almost every single day.

He hasn’t boxed since last April when he headlined his home city's famous A.O Arena for the first time and stopped Jordan Gill in the ninth round of a supposed world title eliminator. He hasn’t let the frustrating ten month lay-off affect his daily routine in the slightest.

The Mancunian also insists that the time out of the ring won’t affect his approach once the bell rings to start his fight with Jazza Dickens, 34-5 (14 KO’s), on Saturday night. The fight takes place at Manchester’s new Co-Op Live Arena and will be broadcast by DAZN.

Barrett wants to put on a spectacular show but he doesn’t feel any extra pressure to make up for lost time.

He has spent years preparing himself in exactly the same way, waiting for his hard work to be recognized and rewarded. It has earned him a series of titles and he is certain that - one day - it will earn him a fair shot at accomplishing his dream of winning a world title but until it does, he is just going to continue in the only way he knows.

“I'm in the same mood,” he told The Ring. “I get the same frustration close to the fight as I do with any other fight because I just want to fight. It's just a fight and the best me that turns up always performs, always puts on a show so, I don't think like that.

“The best thing about it is people that look into boxing know it's not my fault. So, because they know it's not my fault I'm not having opportunities and whatever, I don't need to prove anything.

“Everybody says the same thing. ‘When are you fighting for the world title, man?’

“You know what? I don't get fed up with it. It just makes me feel like, ‘I know. When am I going to fight for the world title? When am I going to get my shot?’

“But I'm a dreamer and I just keep the fire burning and keep going.”

It is more than a decade since Barrett turned professional and he has spent his entire career campaigning as a junior lightweight.

Barrett is one of the most dedicated fighters in Britain - he has even been known to remove the bun from a cheat day Five Guys burger - and has learned how to safely and effectively make weight over the years but it still takes tremendous amount of effort and sacrifice to stay within touching distance of 130lbs for so long.

The approach has earned him English, Commonwealth and European titles and made him a fixture in the various governing bodies’ world rankings. Still, his only shot at a world title belt was a short notice crack at Shavkat Rakhimov’s IBF title in November 2022.

Barrett performed well given the notice, dropping the Tajik fighter early before understandably tiring and getting stopped in the ninth.

Since then he has been back to the grindstone and following another routine. Winning, waiting, winning, waiting.

Barrett’s upbringing means that he isn’t the type to moan or complain about his lot but he is starting to wonder what else he has to do to be given another chance.

Barrett understands boxing and knows why he has had to earn his shot whilst other fighters get given them but he feels like he has done everything asked of him time and time again.

"I’m all risk no reward for some people,” Barrett said.

“You know, this is why I need to be put in a position where people have to fight me or the champion has to fight me.

“So, get this good win against Jazza and I want these other fights, man. I just want a world title fight.

“I just feel like I deserve it. I'm not a guy to cry over spilt milk. I'm not that guy. But I've done everything that people have required me to do. Beat everyone who you want me to beat. Took a fight at short notice to have a world title fight.

“Fighters get twelve weeks notice and, respectfully so, they should. It's a world title fight, it's their life. But I've done a lot.

“I’ve done what I've been required to. You know what I mean? So, I just want that opportunity because I know I'll take the wheel from there. When I've took the wheel, there’ll be no regrets.

“It'll be like, ‘Thank you for that opportunity. Now, I’m world champion.’”

Barrett assumed that beating Jordan Gill would separate him from the chasing pack of British junior lightweights but it has proven impossible to nail down a title shot or big fight and his weekend he has been matched with the popular former British and IBO featherweight champion, Dickens.

The 33 year-old Liverpudlian spent years dragging himself down to featherweight but has scored two routine stoppage wins since making a belated step up to 130lbs last year. The southpaw will know that, in all likelihood, this represents his final chance to make an impact on the world scene.

The two aren’t strangers and as a father himself, Barrett knows that Dickens will be desperate to win and ensure that he can continue to provide for his family for a little while yet.

“Good fighter,” he said. “I’ve known Jazza over 10 years. I've been in the gym when he sparred Scott Quigg, Rhys Roberts and then I've sparred him a good couple of times before. He’s a good fighter, man. I know what I'm in for and this is what gave me that fire because I know how good he is.

“I hear that he lives a clean life and whatever but, you know, lifestyle and stuff changes a fighter. Having children, just normal life issues can change a fighter so I expect to see the best Jazza.

“I don't expect to see a Jazza that's faded. A hungry man is a dangerous man. Any man or woman who's willing to risk it all is dangerous, so I've got a livewire in front of me.

“At this level, you fight anyone. I believe I’m one of the best fighters in the world, one of the best fighters in Britain so, it doesn't really matter what name it is. Just anyone at 130.

“‘Him? Yeah. How long have I got? No problem.’ It's not even an issue. His name came up. Alright, sweet.”

Not many fighters would have remained as dedicated and focused on their task for as long as Barrett has. Not many have the same perspective on life as Barrett does either.

The Barrett family have suffered more than their fair share of tragedy. On Christmas Eve 2013, his close cousin and hero, John - who Barrett refers to as his brother - was attacked and would later die after being stabbed and in 2021, his beloved mother, Sonia, shockingly passed away after an extremely short battle with cancer.

Boxing kept Barrett on the straight and narrow during some tough times and winning a world title would see him keep a promise he not only made to himself, but also to his mum.

Life has taught Barrett that whilst there are plenty of things worth getting upset and angry about, they are things that he is powerless to change.

When it comes to his boxing career, he knows that as long as he continues to win his chance will eventually arrive. Rather than allowing his frustration to get the better of him, he needs to remain patient.

“Like, when my mum died and when John [his elder brother] died and stuff like that, you think differently with life,” he said.

“So how you treat a situation and how I would treat a situation are two totally different things. You might be peed off cos someone's done something and I might be like, ‘Nah, it's all right.’

“Because when you lose somebody that close to you, nothing's promised to you. My mum was my best friend. I lost two people at once.

“I give 100 to boxing and I love the sport and I know I'm going to be a world champion. My time will come. So I just don't cry about it.

“Who do you want me to fight? Boom. All right, sweet.”

Should Barrett beat Dickens, he will once again set his sights on a world title fight.

This time, he is going to state his case more strongly.

He will insist that talk of ‘one more before a big one’ are parked to one side. They can start again once he has a belt around his waist.

“I don't want another eliminator now,” he said.

“I just want a world title fight and I'll just take control there. I don't care who it is.

“How much more can you push me back in the line? And like I said, the beautiful thing about it, everyone knows. It’s not like it's not spoke about. It's always spoke about. I don't know.”