It took ages, this [Badou Jack] is the fight Iโve been waiting for. Iโm over the moon. I literally canโt wait, this is the best two super-middleweights in the world, going by results and the two belts weโve got, and weโre fighting to see whoโs No. 1. Iโm excited to unify the division.
One hundred per cent, this is the biggest fight of my career. Thereโs two belts on the line, the WBC โ the most prestigious belt โ and the IBF which is next in line. This is the biggest fight, itโs at the Barclays Center, a lovely venue, in America, on Showtime and Sky Sports, you canโt get any bigger. Iโm really looking forward to it and this is when youโll see the best of me. As Eddie Hearn said, Iโm a โbuzzโ fighter, I honestly believe that. The big arenas, the big fights, with everything on the line.
Iโm massively motivated to be going over to America, the press conference actually felt like I was in a big fight this time around. Al Haymonโs pulled it out of the bag.
Badou Jackโs a very good fighter, a very underrated fighter. If you just go through his last four opponents, theyโre four very good wins and itโs the same for me as well. Weโre both very good fighters and weโre basically in our prime, so youโve got two quality fighters in their prime boxing to unify the division to see who the best is. This is what boxing needs; the best fighting the best.
Itโs what boxingโs about. There are too many fighters out there who think theyโre the best but they donโt want to box the best, they donโt want to put their world titles on the line. I think me and Badou Jack will get respect.
I donโt want to keep on saying it, but Iโm a road warrior. I donโt care, Iโll go abroad. If anything, I actually like it because the pressureโs off a little bit more. Iโm in boxing for the big fights, the titles and the money. Iโll go where the titles are and Iโm going to make the most money.
I think Iโm a big favourite, itโs crazy. Badou Jack is a serious fighter. He doesnโt do anything spectacular but heโs a solid all-round fighter, heโs got a very good jab, he does the basics well, he works well to the body, he has a nice tight defence. Overall heโs a complete fighter, if Iโm not 100 per cent thereโs a big possibility I can lose.
Iโm fit already. Iโm going to be a beast. Iโve actually changed a few things in training as well. Believe it or not, but in my professional career I have never done strength and conditioning until now. Iโve never looked at the sports science side of things. After my last fight I thought, โIn my last few fights Iโve fatigued at the end.โ My breathing is fine, I was just fatigued, there was something missing. I do a little bit of strength with my trainer Jim McDonnell but I saw that everyone else is doing strength and conditioning, so after my last fight I teamed up with my strength and conditioning coach Nick. For five months Iโve been working a lot on my strength, I can feel the differences and everyone will see.
If Iโm being honest, I didnโt pay too much attention to George Grovesโ fight. He boxed alright, stuck to the job. Heโs struggling at the minute though. Hopefully he can win a world title and if he does, itโll be against Fedor Chudinov because thatโs his only chance. That would set up our rematch, as long as I beat Jack. Iโd like to fight him again, the British public want to see it. Hopefully heโll win the WBA title and weโll get it on, but you never know with George. Heโs a good fighter but I donโt know if heโs a world class fighter. Thereโs room for improvement. But right now Iโve got Badou Jack, then Callum Smith. After that, it can happen.
This article was originally published in Boxing News