Newton Mearns boxer Stewart Burt is using a brush with hero Miguel Cotto as his inspiration as he takes his next step on the road to the big-time with a fight against William Warburton tonight.

Burt will take on Warburton for the third time at the Paisley Lagoon Centre this evening, having already beaten the Englishman twice before.

The 27-year-old is looking to regain his sharpness after being forced out of a fight on the undercard of Ricky Burns’s defeat to Julius Indongo at the Hydro with a kidney infection.

And he is hoping that a solid victory can set him back on the path to emulating role model Cotto at some point in the future.

“We were over at Freddie Roach’s gym last year, and he was so welcoming and the experience was so good that we decided to go over again this year,” Burt told SportTimes.

“I’m not sure if he remembered us, because he must meet loads of people all the time, but he couldn’t have been friendlier again. We turned up and offered to pay to use his gym, but he was having none of it and just told us to get stuck in.

“He’s a great guy, and even though he’s achieved so much in the sport, he’s really unaffected by it and treats everybody the same.

“While I was there, Miguel Cotto just sauntered in one day, and he is a real hero of mine. I was a bit starstruck to be honest, but the chance to see guys like that is a real inspiration for me.

“Will I ever be able to reach his level? Obviously, every fighter wants to progress and get to a stage where they are able to get those big fights, and that’s how ambitious I am for my career. Why not?

“It was really frustrating to have to pull out of the Hydro, but my trainer felt it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

“It hasn’t really hampered me too much in terms of getting back on track with my training for this fight.

“This will be a good way to get rid of any ring-rust though, and it is another good step on the road for me.

“Since fighting William a couple of years back and beating him, I feel like I have come on leaps and bounds as a fighter, and I’m looking forward to proving that on Saturday.”