It’s 8am three weeks out from the fight. The heat is climbing and the humidity thick. Under the watchful eye of fitness and conditioning coach Brendan Hlad there are instructions, fiercely rigorous exercises, a small recovery break and the process begins again.

This short session, conducted at boxing coach Ben Crampton’s property at Quorrobolong outside of Cessnock, is designed to deliver Minto, 24, the explosive power and speed he will need to counter seasoned pro and former world title holder Sergio Gonzales from Argentina.

“Mostly it’s about explosiveness and how to pull the trigger when you have to,” Hlad explained of the tortuous session he is putting Minto and his young training partner Zack Fitzpatrick, 13 through.

“They’ve done a lot of conditioning and the hard stuff, today was just about getting the fast-switch fibres activated and active when they’ve got to.

“There’s no use just flogging a bloke because he is just going to stay the same pace. It is about picking the pace up from now.”

Minto, from Toronto, is concentrating on process rather than the thought he could become Lake Macquarie’s first world boxing champion with a win in Saturday night’s battle for the vacant World Boxing Foundation super lightweight world title at Wests City Newcastle.

“I’m feeling great for the fight. This conditioning really helps especially for a 12-round fight,” Minto said.

“I thought in my last 10-round fight I felt good, I felt explosive throughout the fight. So hopefully I’m going to pick it up more this fight as well.

“I try not to think about it (the world title) too much. I try to think about what we’ve got to do, the game plan and the goals that I have to achieve throughout the fight.

“I know if I get that right then the belt will come”

Boxing coach Ben Crampton admits Minto will go into the fight as the underdog but believes his preparation has given him a red-hot chance to unsettle the experienced Gonzales with explosive power and  speed to control the tempo and keep Gonzales outside his comfort zone.

“I think he (Minto) has got a very good chance. Don’t get me wrong Blake is the underdog in this fight,” Crampton said. 

“The other guy is very seasoned, 60 pro fights against Blake’s 12, but when it comes to hard work and training I’m sure Gonzales is not putting the effort in that Blake Minto is.”

Saturday’s fight night also includes Cessnock boxer Troy O’Meley on the card.

O’Meley is fighting Luke Howlett from Brisbane.