Wednesday 12 October 2016 12:13, UK
Ryan Burnett is confident that fighting Ryan Farrag in Liverpool will bring out the best in him and finally showcase his true boxing potential.
Burnett, 24, hails from Belfast and will be going into the lion's den on Saturday as he faces local favourite and former European champ Farrag at the Echo Arena as part of the undercard to Tony Bellew's first defence of his WBC cruiserweight title, to be shown live on Sky Sports.
Having won the British and WBC International bantamweight titles, Burnett (14-0-KO9) makes the first defence of that coveted British belt and insists he will rise to the occasion and relish being the away fighter.
Burnett, who is trained by Adam Booth, told Sky Sports: "This is probably my toughest fight to date and I'm expecting a testing challenge from Farrag.
"He likes to come and have a go and he will be there all night trying to compete. In my previous fights, once opponents know they haven't got any speed on me, they are happy to go behind their guard and just survive the fight.
"Farrag won't do that and I think his style, where he comes forward and lets his shots go, will suit me perfectly and bring out the best in me.
"This is definitely a new challenge, but I've always said that every fighter has to go into the lion's den at some point in their career and now it is my time to do it and I'm more than happy about it. The fans are going to get behind the home fighter and I might face some hostility, but it is nothing that is going to faze me."
Booth is just as confident that his charge will thrive under the Echo Arena spotlight and wants Burnett to prove he is a world champion in the making.
He said: "We're not expecting Ryan to have much support in Liverpool, but I know that the fans there love their fighting and realise potential when they see it.
"This is an opportunity for Ryan to prove that he is a future champion and one that thrives on competition and challenges.
"I expect him to be able to find the right answer when in the ring on fight night and keep showing that he has the skill set and potential to go all the way in this game."
Watch Ryan Burnett v Ryan Farrag before Tony Bellew defends his WBC cruiserweight world title against BJ Flores live on Saturday night, from 8.00pm, on Sky Sports 2.
