Monday 20 February 2017 13:47, UK
Gavin McDonnell admits he felt like a boxing nobody as he toiled in the shadow of his world champion twin brother Jamie, but is ready to step into the spotlight.
The Doncaster twin can do just that when he takes on Mexican puncher Rey Vargas for the vacant WBC super-bantamweight title, live on Sky Sports 2 on Saturday.
Gavin wants to finally upstage Jamie (29-2-1-KO13), the current WBA bantamweight champ, who he says has stolen all the glory so far.
"People don't realise that if you are living in someone's shadow for years and years, you don't have a name," he told Sky Sports. "I was just known as 'Jamie's brother'.
"People would come up to me and say 'Hey, Jamie McDonnell' but I would have to say 'no, I'm his brother, Gavin McDonnell'. 'Oh he's got a brother, they would say.'I didn't even know he had a brother!'"
He's been there, he's motivated me - he's was the main motivation - but I have got the wind in my sails now and there's no stopping me now. I am on it and I am going to surpass Jamie.
It has been a long haul for Gavin, who was more used to watching from ringside as Jamie won the European title before claiming first the IBF bantamweight title in 2013 and then the WBA belt in 2014 - a title he has now successfully defended five times.
Gavin only turned pro in 2010, five years after Jamie, and only fought for the British title in 2014 - almost a year after Jamie had already become a world champion.
"I had all that before slowly starting to get some identity, picking up British titles, European titles, international titles and getting credit," said Gavin.
"Then people started coming up to my brother, saying 'Hey Gavin' and then he would have to say 'no, I'm Jamie'.
Now it's people coming up to me and saying 'McDonnell! Which one are you?'
"I'm starting now to really get credit for being myself, my own person and this fight really takes me to the next level and puts me level with Jamie.
"If anything I'll have the better world title and it really just goes to show that if you work hard at something and really want it, you can go out there and do it.
"I'm proof, this is what I've done. I've gone out there and I am going to do better than my brother.
"He's been there, he's motivated me - he's was the main motivation - but I have got the wind in my sails now and there's no stopping me now. I am on it and I am going to surpass Jamie."
Gavin says not even his own family tipped him to win anything in boxing.
But when he saw Jamie land the European title in France in 2010 - the year he turned pro - he decided he wanted to emulate him.
"We were celebrating his European title win and I just had a little bit of a buzz on - and I'd had a few drinks to be honest - and I just thought if he can do it, I can do it.
"And I got laughed off. All my family and friends, everybody that was there, said 'you can't do it' and I came back and literally just went gradually from one step to the other, picking titles up.
"Funnily enough when I got to the European title, I can remember thinking 'this is all I want, to win this title' and I knew I could do it and went out there and I won it.
"I could've retired then, because that was what I set out to do, but with those fights comes confidence and you raise the bar, and your expectations is to be fighting for my first world title.
"My expectations aren't just to win this title, it's to go on and win numerous world titles and really make a name for myself and set the bar high and pick up a couple of world titles."
Gavin knows he faces a tough task against Vargas, undefeated puncher with 22 KOs on his record and a frightening knockout ratio of 79 per cent, but the twin has proven he can resist pressure fighters to pile up the points to clinch victory over the distance.
Watch Gavin McDonnell vs Rey Vargas for the vacant WBC world super-bantamweight title from the Hull Ice Arena, live on Sky Sports 2, Saturday, from 8.00pm.
