Joshua Buatsi believes he must beat Dan Azeez if he is to land a world title fight.
The two light heavyweights face off in an all British clash on February 3 (live on Peacock in the US).
The match-up has become an eliminator for the WBA governing body, meaning the winner will be entitled to fight Dmitry Bivol should they enforce a mandatory fight.
However it is likely that Bivol will first face unified light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev in an undisputed clash later this year, putting the winner of Buatsi vs. Azeez in an enviable position.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Buatsi said of winning: "It's imperative.
"I've got good rankings with all the governing bodies so right now at this point I cannot make any mistakes.
"There's no other way to say it, it's very, very imperative. So we are almost there but we are not there yet."
Asked about the deteriorating relationship with the pair, who were sparring partners and friends, he said: "One thing I haven't done is go back to watch the videos. I've seen little titles saying 'oh, Buatsi's a diva' he's this, he's that, but I have no interest in clicking and watching it. After the fight perhaps I might do, but right now we are fighting in less than two weeks.
"You can say anything you want about me, it doesn't matter. But we're going to fight in less than two weeks so that's my mindset."
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