BURY boxer Scott Quigg returns to the ring on Saturday aiming to take a step back up to world title contention.

Quigg, who turned 30 last week, takes on 32-year-old Mexican Mario Briones in Boston this weekend in an eight-round featherweight bout, looking to bounce back from his loss to Oscar Valdez in March – just the second of his professional career.

And after an extended spell out of action due to a fractured foot, suffered in the build-up to that Valdez defeat in Los Angeles, former world champion Quigg is itching to get back to what he loves and boxing his way back to the top level where he once ruled at super bantamweight.

It may not be imminent just yet but the Bury star knows only victory this weekend can sustain the challenge of making those top-of-the-bill dates a reality in the future.

Quigg said: "I always say you never look past the next fight but, of course, you have to have a goal and mine remains becoming a world champion again.

"I believe I can do it but I have to do my talking in the ring and keep adding wins to my record.

"That is the aim on Saturday against Briones.

"He has an okay record and has been in with some good fighters, only losing to those.

"I will not take him lightly but in all honesty I have to go in and blitz him and show I am getting back to the level I want to be at.

"I have done a lot of work in camp and beforehand with [strength and conditioning coach] Rik Moylan and new nutritionist Scott Robinson.

"I feel in good shape and ready to go after some good sparring and hard work with Freddie [Roach, trainer].

"I am 30 now and have made some adjustments over the long hours in the gym.

"I am treating it as if it is a world title fight because if I don't win then there won't be a world title fight anytime soon.

"It is one hurdle at a time but people will see the best Scott Quigg again."

It has been a disappointing few years for Quigg since losing his unbeaten record to Carl Frampton in Manchester in 2016.

Surgery on a broken jaw followed that loss before switching trainers to Freddie Roach from Joe Gallagher.

A move up to featherweight followed and three successive wins put him back on track.

But the foot injury that saw him fail to make the weight against Valdez, and the consequent defeat and lay-off, set him back again.

Quigg revealed his frustration saw him pile on weight and take him up to nearly 12 stone.

But once he was given the green light to return to his second home of the gym, he wasted little time in shedding the pounds.

He added: "There have been lows and I'd be lying if I said there haven't.

"It's hard not being able to train because I live for that.

"I piled on the weight and was feeling a bit sorry for myself.

"But I had to snap out of it – there are people out there with worse problems than me.

"It has definitely made me a stronger person and I am more determined than ever to get back in the ring now.

"I still believe I can be world champion again and winning on Saturday will help me down that road.

"I would like maybe one more fight this year and then hopefully I can get an eliminator in 2019.

"First I have to take care of business in Boston."

* You can watch Scott Quigg take on Mario Briones as part of International Fight Night on Sky Sports Main Event from midnight on Saturday.