If boxing is in your soul, it doesn’t matter if you have been a decorated champion like Willie Limond or a plodding journeyman like Johnny Greaves, walking away from the buzz of competitive fighting never seems to be easy.

The history of the noble art is littered with cautionary tales of fighters who battled on too long, craving the gruelling routine of training, or missing the buzz of the crowd’s adulation as months of preparation come down to 12 rounds of intense physical and mental warfare. When the last bell tolls and the spotlight fades, there always seems to be something missing that keeps fighters coming back for more.

Limond admits that at 37, his peak physical condition may be several years past, but he feels ready to stage one last push for his shot at the big-time.

The Glasgow fighter will take on Tyrone Nurse for the British title on the undercard of fellow Scot Ricky Burns’ world-title fight with Italian veteran Michele Di Rocco at the Hydro on May 28th, but there is a nagging sense of bewilderment for Limond that top-billing has yet to come his way.

He admits that setting up a potential all-Scottish clash with Burns is just as much of a motivation going into his fight with Nurse as the chance to regain the British belt.

“I was missing the buzz,” he conceded.

“I never lost the belt, I had it taken off of me because of injury, so the chance to win it back is far too good to miss.

“I feel that they took the belt from me under harsh circumstances, because there are fighters in England who haven’t defended their belts for two or three years and still have them, whereas I was injured for six or seven months and it was taken off me.

“I’m also a wee bit frustrated because the natural fight should be me and Ricky.

“Ricky says that Eddie Hearn told him he was staying down at lightweight, so I was meant to fight the European champion who is Michele Di Rocco.

“He refused to come over and fight me and then never got back in touch, and now these two are fighting each other for the world title.

“I’m willing to fight anybody. I’m not meaning this as if I’m trying to call anyone out, that’s not the case at all. I respect Ricky Burns and I rate him as a fighter - and as a person - but I just get a bit scunnered that I’ve been in this game for 18 years and I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get a big fight.

“I always perform, so I don’t know what I need to do.

“This will be a hard fight, but if I win it then hopefully I’ll get a shot at either Ricky or Di Rocco.

“I see some other fighters getting a shot and I think ‘where’s my shot?’

“I’m not calling out Ricky, I’m not calling out Di Rocco - I’ve never called anybody out. It would just be nice to be in that mix.

“I’ve sparred with the best and fought some superstars, so I just want to try to get one last push, get this British title back and then hopefully get a shot."

The prospect of taking on compatriot Burns is one that wouldn't phase Limond, but he is honest enough to recognise that if the fight doesn't happen soon, it may come too late for him to give a true account of his abilities.

“Ricky could be a three-time world champion by then, and that would obviously be a very hard night, but I’d make sure it was a hard night for him too," he said.

“If Eddie leaves it any longer though I’ll be going into the ring with a zimmer frame!”