Armed Armitt shapes-up

That’s the plan anyway.

On Sunday the 28-year-old Marulan raised boxer flies out to New Caledonia for a multi-event South Pacific sporting championship - the biggest of his short albeit blooming career.

And in the words of Blackadder’s dopey servant Baldrick, he has a ‘cunning plan’.

“I’m expecting some fireworks,”

Armitt said on the eve of his departure.

“I think they’ll try and smash my head in early... they’ll come out pretty hard. I hope they do, because I’m just going to focus on being able to out-box them,” he said.

The unexpected invitation to join the combined Queensland-New South Wales team could be just the catalyst the promising fighter needs, according to his trainer John Edlund.

Edlund, a former detective and long-time trainer at the PCYC in Goulburn, was relaxing at home this week when the phone rang. Out of the blue came the good news. Faced with an 11th hour withdrawal of a light heavyweight boxer, the Australian selectors needed to plug the hole.

And quickly.

In the back of their minds was an honest, tough and imposing fighter who hailed from Goulburn and made a name for himself at the state titles earlier this year. They got straight on the phone to Armitt’s trainer. The rest, as they say, is history.

“I’ve trained two state golden glove champions and a state representatives. But at the same stages of their career,

Shaun’s the most promising,” Edlund said of his ambitious fighter.

“He’s the hardest trainer I’ve ever seen. He’s also very quick with his hands and very quick on his feet.”

Should he go on to make a name for himself in the boxing game, Hollywood writers will be quick to pen a screenplay about the rise of Shaun Armitt.

“We’ve been up against it,” Edlund said.

“He hasn’t had anyone to spar against locally and a lot of the training’s been done in the backyard. We have to travel to Canberra just to have a decent spar,” he said.

Many of boxing’s elite have overcome the odds to make a mark in the violent and disciplined sport. Armitt hopes to do the same in Noumea next week.

“I’m very excited and keen to make the most of the opportunity,” the current state novice champion said.

“This is definitely the biggest event I’ve been to. So I want to make the most it.”

A fair showing at the New Caledonia event will place Armitt in good stead for a shot at the state titles at February. Should he advance through the NSW championships – something his trainer is supremely confident will happen - a position at the national titles in March awaits.

“Everything leads into something. I’m just taking it one step at a time,” he said.

“That’s where John’s been good. He’s been a big influence on me. He’s changed the way I fight. He’s slowly got the bad habits out of me.”