FORMER European champion Craig Evans has revealed that a lack of fights in the last two years nearly led to him quitting boxing.

Blackwood’s Evans faces Englishman Jordan Ellison in a super-lightweight contest over six rounds on the MTK Global show at Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff tonight.

He beat Ellison on points in July 2016 but has only fought three times since then, twice as WBO European lightweight king after dethroning Tom Stalker.

His reign came to an end in Russia this February when a ninth-round knockdown led to him being stopped by Roman Andreev in a bout he took at four weeks’ notice.

The growing frustration of not getting to fight as often as he felt he should have been also played a part in Evans leaving St Joseph’s Boxing Club.

Having started working with his brother closer to home to support his young family, Evans then found he was spending less time with his two-year-old daughter Poppy to train in Newport.

As a result, he is now working with Gavin Rees at the former world champion’s Pantside ABC gym near Newbridge.

“I was working until 6.30pm, travelling to Newport to train at 7.30pm and getting home at gone 9pm,” he said.

“I’d rather be able to see my daughter and still train hard so that’s why I left St Joseph’s, it was nothing to do with anyone there.

“I’m training with guys I know like Kody Davies and Sean McGoldrick, and I know Gavin because we live quite close to each other.

“He’s a good trainer, works you very hard, and there’s certainly no cutting corners in the gym.”

Evans’ promoter and manager Frank Warren declined the Welshman’s request to be released from his current contract, which runs until 2020.

“I’m 30 next year,” he added. “I’ve got about three years left in boxing and I want some big fights.

“I’ve been told that if I get this fight out of the way I could be offered a fight for some sort of title at super-featherweight.

“If the big fights for me are at super-featherweight then I will try my hardest to get my weigh down, but it’s getting harder as I get older.

“I rang Frank after the fight in Russia and told him I was close to jacking it all in because I’ve got a family to provide for and mortgage to pay.

“I had a good seven months out and went up to 12st 2lb, five weeks later I was 9st 13lb and I’m feeling good, but I was close to chucking it in.

“I love doing what I do and I still feel I’ve got a couple more fights in me yet.”

Evans was originally supposed to be fighting Yorkshire's Brad 'Beefy' Botham tonight but the 23-year-old was forced to pull out with an injury.

Meanwhile, Rhondda's former European, British and Commonwealth super-welterweight champion Liam Williams headlines the show against Nicaraguan Edwin Palacios.

Gwent's Sean McGoldrick and Kody Davies, St Joseph's' Lance Cooksey and fellow Welsh boxers Jacob Robinson, JJ Evans, Jermaine Asare and Maredudd Thomas also feature.