Lawrence Okolie says he is confident of winning his first world cruiserweight title at Wembley on Saturday.
He predicted he will stop two-time World Champion Krzysztof Glowacki and take the vacant WBO belt.
Okolie from Hackney, boxed as an amateur at Repton and Dagenham BC and is unbeaten in 15 fights as a pro since representing Great Britain in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He believes that victory over his 32-year-old Polish rival on the Matchroom bill screened live on Sky Sports, will be the first step to unifying the division before moving up to compete as a full-blown heavyweight.
"It’s going to be a massive statement winning this fight, not just for me but for the area that I come from and I believe I will win by stoppage," said the 28-year-old Okolie a former student at Newham's UEL.
Certainly the bookies share his confidence, rating the hard-hitting Matchroom fighter an 11-4 on favourite to defeat his southpaw rival.
He has studied Glowacki carefully and says: "Although he’s got a lot of attributes, I can’t see any of them working against me. I think he’ll be confident. He’s a game guy and probably thinks it’s my first time at world level.
"One of my main attributes is my mental toughness. I have the ability to cope with any fight. I look forward to it.
“This has been a long time coming. It’s been a year since I knew that I was mandatory for the World Title. I’ve been mentally preparing for this for a year.
"We’ve had to deal with lockdowns and now I’m excited to get it over and done with, get the victory and become a world champion. Physically I’m getting into my prime now. Mentally, I’ve dealt with the excitement of the occasion. Now it’s just a formality."
The Pole's 13-year pro career has seen him record 31 victories against just two defeats at the hands of top-rated cruiserweights Mairis Briedis and Oleksandr Usyk.
Okolie, five inches taller than his rival, plans to make his height and reach advantages count in the Wembley ring - and looks forward to a bright future.
"After I win the world title I want to unify and move up to heavyweight. It’s all there, it just keeps me motivated in the gym and pushing for more."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here