End of the road after 300 fights

Local boxing veteran Peter Buckley will compete in his 300th and final fight of a magnificent career at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre in Birmingham.

It is churlish of people to knock Buckley's poor statistical record, because stats are like a bikini. They reveal a lot but show nothing.

For the record, Buckley has 31 wins, 12 draws and 256 defeats in his 299 fights. He has shared a ring with the best this country has had to offer, including a young and ferocious Prince Naseem Hamed.

Buckley became the first man to take the Prince the distance.

He has fought future British champions, world champions, European champions, Commonwealth champions, often at an afternoon's notice.

The Birmingham slugger has boxed virtually every week since 1989 and has been there to do a job – go the distance and teach the up-and-comer a few tricks along the way.

He has a superb defence and beautiful balance. He just stands there effortlessly picking off the opponent's punches on his gloves. He is a defensive artist in a world where people crave blood and guts.

Buckley has been managed his whole career by another brilliantly colourful Brummie called Nobby Nobbs, who dubs his gym in Birmingham city centre "Losers Limited".

Nobbs' crew jump in a car, journey to London or Glasgow, box, go the distance, pick up their money, go home, work all week, and jump in that car again the next weekend.

Trainer Nobbs tells his boxers in the gym – "if you want to warm up, go stand by the radiator."

In reality, Nobby cares deeply about his fighters and says their victory is in going the distance with young dangermen managed by the likes of Frank Warren or Barry Hearn.

Peter Buckley could have been a champion. He chose to take the journeyman route because it paid better and offered fewer risks. He has amassed a small fortune for his partner and young daughter, and the fight game love him.

It will be emotional tonight, and the Sky TV cameras will be there to witness it.