CAMDEN S ex-British bantamweight champion Martin Power believes his trainer CJ Hussein is the key factor behind the recent resurgence that propelled him to within one fight of a return to the big time. Power s career looked all but over last year before h

CAMDEN'S ex-British bantamweight champion Martin Power believes his trainer CJ Hussein is the key factor behind the recent resurgence that propelled him to within one fight of a return to the big time.

Power's career looked all but over last year before he elected to return to St Pancras - where he had excelled as an amateur - and join Hussein, and made a dream start when beating Sid Razak last June.

But after a shock loss to Stuart Hall in his next bout, Hussein elected to change the former champ's training pattern, focussing on defence, and leaving sparring until closer to the fight.

Hussein's tactics paid off in the next bout, an imposing fifth-round stoppage of Matthew Edmonds in December, in what trainer and fighter acknowledged as Power's "last chance saloon."

The manner of the victory was so impressive that the former champ is now on the brink of a shot at the British and Commonwealth super-flyweight belts - providing he beats Ross Burkinshaw in Coventry next month.

"I am feeling really good and feel as though I am getting the best training of my life," Power told Ham&High Sport this week.

"Now it has hit me what boxing training is all about. The pad-work here is harder than the sparring and the circuit training for strengthening and conditioning is great.

"It has made so much difference to me, living so close to the gym. It is out of this world. I can leave my flat at five to 11 and be in the gym by 11am. I got tired of all the driving I had to do to get to my old gym in the East End and my heart wasn't in it in the end.

"But training with CJ has made all the difference. It is CJ doing it all [improving my boxing] and I don't want to let him down."

Power (21-5, with nine KOs) won his first 19 bouts and bagged his first title five years ago with a points win over Dale Robinson to win the British bantamweight title.

A brace of successful defences against Ian Napa and Isaac Wood followed before he tasted defeat for the first time when going up against Tshifhiwa Munyai for the vacant Commonwealth belt.

A trio of losses followed before he returned to his roots and Power is confident that further successes will follow.

"After Burkinshaw the target is the British or Commonwealth title at super-fly," Power continued.

"Lee Haskins has the title but plans to drop down to flyweight to fight for the European title as there is no European belt at super-fly.

"If he does that I will fight for the vacant belt. If not, I will challenge Haskins for his super-fly titles, so either way I will be fighting for a title after I beat Burkinshaw."

Hussein agrees: "They have both have been told they will fight for the British or British and Commonwealth titles if they win," said Hussein. "If there are no injuries the fight could take place by the end of May.