SO, John Docherty, any interest in being part of Eddie Hearn’s typically extravagant plans to restart boxing in the back garden of his family mansion? Oh, go on then.

With little prospect of fans being allowed inside arenas for the foreseeable future, the Matchroom mogul’s response to the closed doors requirements has been to look to stage televised bouts on the 15-acre piece of land behind the Essex home he grew up in that now serves as his business headquarters.

The idea and the location are both hugely appealing to Docherty. The Montrose super-middleweight trains out of Tony Sims’ gym not far from the Hearn stately pile and is desperate to get back into the ring, regardless of the where and when.

Having chalked up an eighth successive victory in February, the 22 year-old remains as hungry as ever to become British champion as quickly as is humanly possible.

Part of the Matchroom stable since turning professional in 2018, the undefeated Docherty knows all about Hearn and his desire to keep boxing in the spotlight.

And being involved in the Fight Camp events planned for July and August would be the ideal way to get his career up and running again after this temporary pause.

“I’ve been reading about Eddie’s plans and it sounds brilliant,” he said. “I’d be up for that. One of the guys at our gym had a press conference there once and did a work-out and he says the facilities are brilliant.

“Plus my gym is only two miles from there so from that side of things it would be perfect to fight there if I can get on one of the cards that he’s planning.

“Eddie Hearn always pulls something special out of the bag and that’s why I signed with him. He’s one of the biggest promoters in the sport so it’s no surprise that he’s come up with this plan. I just hope he can now pull it all off and make it a reality.

“Tony has a great relationship with Eddie so they’re in contact all the time. If I get the shout to fight then I’ll make sure I am ready to go.”

Like most boxers, Docherty’s recent regime has seen him pounding the pavements rather than the usual sparring or work in the gym.

“I’ve been trying to do as much training as I can during lockdown to keep my fitness up,” he added. “I’ve been doing long runs and sprints, and my coaches have been on the phone every day giving me advice, too.

“But I’m missing sparring, pad work and just being around the boys in the gym. Hopefully that will all be back soon.

“Once I’m back in the gym Tony will need five or six weeks working with me and then I should be in good shape to fight again, whether that’s in July or maybe August.

“I’d imagine with the lack of travel at the moment it will probably just be English boys so it should be a good match-up whoever I’m fighting.”

The venue and lack of crowd won’t be the only unusual factors in Docherty’s eventual return. Boxers will be tested and then quarantined in the build-up to their fight, everyone will have to wear protective equipment and the fighters will be asked not to spit in the ring where possible.

“It is what it is,” added the boxer who won Commonwealth bronze for Scotland two years ago. “They have to do whatever they can to get the sport going again. I agree with the no spitting rule but that’s going to be hard to control.

“But I’ll do whatever it takes to get back out again. I’d fight in a phonebox if they asked me. Before lockdown we were talking about me having two more fights and then a shot at the British title.

“That might be delayed if there are no title fights behind closed doors but I’m still confident that when the time comes I’ll become British champion. That’s my next big goal.”

Pre-lockdown there was another Scottish accent alongside him in the gym most days. Ricky Burns remains an inspiration at the age of 37 and Docherty can think of no better person to learn from as he pursues his own dream of one day winning a world title of his own.

“Ricky is unbelievable,” he added. “His mindset for the boxing game is second to none and he still trains as hard as ever. That’s why he became a three-weight world champion. I’m honoured to work alongside him.

“We’ve got a few champions in our gym and every Christmas they get a photo together. I’ve never been in one yet so that’s something I need to put right soon. I need to win a belt of my own.”