iafrica.com's Rob Peters has just over a week to go before stepping into the ring at Harrington Street Boxing Gym for 'Fight Night' and his training has reached a critical juncture? read all about it below!

Felix Venganay rattles off a couple of combinations in the corner, my eyes fail to pick up most of it, and considering those combinations will soon be aimed at my head, that is not good.

Felix, who originally hails from Zimbabwe, has recently entered the professional boxing ranks after eight years of amateur boxing and with three wins out of four fights (all by knockout) his slight frame belies a powerhouse punch. I should know because for the past two months I have been sparring with him at Harrington Street in preparation for Fight Night.

And so, while I might outweigh him, and have a longer reach, Felix loses nothing in strength and his speed around the ring more than compensates for my longer arms. Because if I can't catch him, the length of my arms doesn't mean a hell of a lot does it?

The bell goes and we close in on one another.

Felix ducks to the side as I fire off a jab, and immediately answers it with a jab of his own, followed by a hard right, rocking my head back and sending me backpedalling to re-gather.

Our rounds last for three minutes (one minute longer than they will on Fight Night), but it seems like an eternity from the moment the clock starts, to when it finally ends. Perhaps it has something to do with the constant ringing in my ears?

As the first round ends I sink backwards onto the ropes. Felix returns to his corner where he resumes his shadow boxing, constantly moving, testing his range ? he's all business today. Felix takes his role seriously and he admits that he has begun hitting harder, and faster, as we move closer to Fight Night.

"In the ring your opponent is not going to be punching softly," he remarks after one particularly brutal session, "so you need to be prepared."

He's right, of course, and while my head is pounding ? it might be wise to invest in better headgear ? and my ego is considerably bruised, I know that what Felix brings will be far more intense than what I will face next week Friday. If I can make it through four or five rounds with him I am confident I will at the very least see out all three rounds come Fight Night.

The bell goes again and Felix continues to use the ring to maximum effect. He charges in and smashes me with another combination. I lunge with a counter of my own and manage to sneak in an uppercut. The connection with his chin brings a sense of pride, but it's quickly cut short as he delivers another telling right hook that puts me back in check.

Losing my cool I attempt to corner him on the ropes, throwing a succession of hooks and crosses, but it's the classic 'rope-a-dope' and as I run out of steam he deftly hammers me with another lightning-fast combination.

Thankfully the bell goes and I retreat back to my corner.

I languish on the ropes, my legs starting to feel like jelly, and my heart firing a thousand beats a minute. Struggling to catch my breath I watch on in dismay as Felix appears to be showing no fatigue. It's all just practice for him and I'm the target.

The bell goes again? it's going to be a long afternoon.

  • Rob will be documenting his build-up to Fight Night on iafrica.com with a video column. So be sure to keep track RIGHT HERE!

  • For more information on Harrington Street Boxing Gym and Fight Night visit their website.