Headlining at the O2, are you feeling the pressure?
No, Iโve been there on this big stage, a few times now, quite a few times. Itโs just natural now.
What do you think of your opponent, Sergio Garcia?
Iโve watched the different fights heโs had on Youtube. He doesnโt look a bad fighter. Good workrate. He isnโt the biggest puncher but you canโt really tell until you get in the ring because the opponents heโs fought are people no one really knows. So you canโt really judge too much off that.
With Asinia Byfield there was really spite between you, is that a difference here?
This fight is a European title. Itโs the next step and then if you conquer this and win this then there is only one step and that is the world title. If I win this itโs a career changer. That gave me a bit of extra bite.
Iโll be right there. Heโs ranked WBC number three. Iโll take that ranking or be even higher. Then youโre top five in most of the governing bodies. Then youโre there. Iโll be happy and confident to fight any of the three world champions.
Yours is a particularly tough division, what do you think of the world champions (Jarrett Hurd, Jaime Munguia and Tony Harrison)?
None of the three are unstoppable. There isnโt a Canelo there. All three are beatable. So to be honest Iโm not too bothered which one Iโll fight. Iโm happy to fight any of them. But theyโre all good fighters. Once you get to this level every fight is a hard fight.
What do you think of Jarrett Hurd, because heโs basically the main man in the division?
Jarrett Hurd, I donโt know how much you can take off the fight with [Jason] Welborn. Thereโs rumours that he was injured and he took that as a tickover fight. But Welborn looked like he went in there, didnโt think he had a chance of winning, started winning and thought, โBloody hell, Iโve got a chance’ โฆ overdone it, got hit with a body shot and stopped. If heโd have took his timeโฆ On that performance you would say Jarrett Hurd is well beatable but you canโt take too much from it. From what Iโve heard he wasnโt in full shape because he was just overcoming an injury and took that at short notice.
It gives me confidence to go in there and do it. But obviously I canโt step too far ahead. Iโve got to do what I do best on the 2nd and get the win. Once I get the win then I can start talking about pushing for these fights.
What do you think of the Anthony Fowler fight?
Obviously itโs a fight that the public want to see, so obviously if it works out good for us business-wise thereโs that attribute to it. If I was to go on and win the world title and then fight Fowler it becomes a mega-fight. But the fightโs always going to be there to make because everyone wants to see it.
I donโt really care who I fight. Thatโs how I always will be.
So you donโt have a grudge with him?
Iโd like to show everyone and prove to everyone a lot of people are believing his hype. All that hype could be ended against [Scott] Fitzgerald. You donโt know. Heโs got to overcome that fight the same way Iโve got to overcome this fight.
Heโs not had one test against a decent opponentโฆ But weโll soon see.
Itโs got to be worth something because Iโve got everything, Iโve got the ace cards, heโs got nothing, heโs got a joker.