Apinun Khongsong and Josh Taylor both claim they will knock their opponent out when they face each other on Saturday night in London.
Both boxers are undefeated at the light-welterweight level, and Taylor has held the WBA, IBF and Ring since 2019. His belts will be put on the line when he faces the Thai boxer on Saturday. Khongsong has earned this fight in part due to holding the IBF Pan Pacific and Asia titles.
Speaking ahead of the fight, Khongsong (16-0) promised an explosive end to the fight.
“I am happy to fight here and being behind closed doors is good for me because there will be no people and boxing fans,” he said.
“I am very proud to fight Josh Taylor because he is a very good champion. I have prepared very well to fight him on Saturday. The plan is to stop Josh Taylor by knockout."
Taylor is similarly confident, also expecting to knock out his opponent.
“I don't think not having a crowd will affect my performance at all. I've been practicing in the gym with no music, no noise and nobody speaking, so we have been replicating what the experience will be like. I'm looking forward to getting in there on Saturday and I have kept fit and in shape throughout the year. I can't wait to put on a strong performance,” he told the press.
“You will see on Saturday what changes I have made working with Ben (Davison) and I am not going to give away what we have been working on. It is good and we've been working on a lot of things and this is a nice start to a whole new book. This is the start of it, it is going to be better than the last one and I can't wait to get going on Saturday.
“Khongsong is standing in the way of where I want to go so I need to get rid of him. This is his introduction to world boxing and I am going to make it a painful one for him. He doesn't belong at this level and I am a couple of levels above him. I am going to go in there and knock him out on Saturday.”