Craig Richards believes he will benefit from all the pressure being placed on opponent Dmitry Bivol ahead of their fight for the WBA light-heavyweight title this Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on DAZN everywhere except the UK, Ireland, China, New Zealand and Samoa.
Richards (16-1-1, 9 KOs), has put together an impressive winning streak since his only professional loss to Frank Buglioni in 2017, last defeating rival Shakan Pitters in December to win the British light-heavy belt in an all-out war.
The 30-year-old, ranked fifth by the WBA, is well aware of the threat posed by Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs) and why so many potential challengers flat-out avoid the Russian. And it doesn't faze him in the slightest.
“You come into boxing to become a world champion – that’s always the goal," Richards told the official Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel. "I couldn’t be any happier that I have the opportunity to do that on Saturday.
"I’ve been fortunate to have these opportunities to push my career forwards. Getting the WBA Continental, getting myself in the world rankings. I’ve been in the top 10 with the WBA for two years now and I’m in the top 10 with the IBF as well.
“I’ve boxed on a lot of big stages already. I’ve boxed unbeaten fighters, I’ve had pressure fights, 50-50 fights and underdog fights. I’ve really been under pressure in my career constantly. All of those experiences have pushed me and got me prepared for this moment.
"I believe that every step gets your prepared for the next one. I’ve taken the right steps. Now it’s another step. I’m the underdog again. I’ve had to do things the hard way to get myself into this position.
"I know this guy is no joke. I’ve made sure I’m prepared in all areas. He’s a good fighter. He likes to be busy at times. He has decent footwork. There’s a couple of good names on his record. I don’t believe he’s boxed someone who brings the stuff I bring to the ring. I think he’s boxed a lot of different types of styles. I think my style is slightly different and I don’t think he’s crossed that yet.
“The bigger the challenge, the more exciting it is for me. I always get up for a challenge. Every time I’m in a big title fight when I’m the underdog, I go out there and I get the job done. I haven’t had to go through the gears yet. This is the sort of fight that will get the best out of me. I’ll show everyone what I’m really about. All I think about is that first bell. That’s the moment I really can’t wait for.
“There’s no pressure on me, there’s pressure on him. He’s the world champion. He’s meant to be this big star. He’s meant to be this super champion from Russia. He’s going to want to go out there and look tremendous. He’ll want to make a statement, so there’s going to be pressure on him to go out there and perform.
"The pressure is on him, but I’m putting pressure on myself because I want to make sure I get that title and prove everyone wrong."
Bivol vs. Richards, as well as Dereck Chisora vs. Joseph Parker and Katie Taylor defending her undisputed lightweight title against Natasha Jonas, airs live on DAZN this Saturday May 1 everywhere except the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, China and Samoa.