Super-featherweight fighter Jordan Gill is preparing to fight Zelfa Barrett on Saturday in the AO Arena, and thinks the pressure is all on his opponent.
Gill’s last fight was a seventh-round stoppage against Michael Conlan in December, and he had hoped to move onto a world title fight.
Looking back on the fight, the 29-year-old reflected on his confidence going into the evening.
“Heading into the Conlan fight in December it was just laughable because everyone tipped him,” he said.
“I knew how good I am. I knew what I’m capable of. I knew that I had to upset people. I knew I had to have something to prove. I proved people wrong and it was more pleasurable for me to do that.
“I knew the fight was mine from the first round. I rocked him heavy in the first round, dropped him in the second. From that point you know you have to be patient. Once you hurt someone once you know you’re going to do it again. It’s more about taking your time, tucking up a little bit, letting them burn themselves out and then going to town. That was the plan; it worked a treat.”
Gill thinks he is in even better shape ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“I feel the best that I’ve ever felt,” he continued.
“I feel so strong. I feel rejuvenated. I’m not killing myself to make weight. I feel happy. I feel prepared; well prepared. I’m looking forward to a fantastic fight. I think it’s going to be mouth-watering; it’s one that everyone is talking about. I’m just dead excited. This is the chapter now where we’re going to make it all count.
“He looks well prepared. He looks ready. He looks like he’s got the bit between his teeth. He looks like he wants to hurt me. We’ve got to go in and do our job. I think there’s no way that this fight isn’t an exciting fight. I think I win this fight by knockout. This is what I’ve worked for; this is what I’ve dreamed of since I’ve been a kid.
“I just like upsetting people and I think I get a kick out of people telling me that I can’t win fights. Everyone expected me to lose the Conlan fight, and going in there and pulling it off – for me that’s exciting and that’s what boxing is all about. It’s all about the good fights and this is a really good fight. I’m ready to go to the well.
“For me, all of the pressure is on Zelfa. Everyone is expecting me to lose this fight. I’m coming to the lion’s den again. Everyone is making me the underdog again. No problem, just put all of that pressure on him and we’ll turn up, do what we need to do and come away victorious.
"To be the best you have to beat the best. So, to have a claim to a world title you have to go through these fights. Zelfa is a very good fighter, he wants a world title shot and he’s probably at the front of the queue, so I have to beat him to leapfrog him. That’s why we’re here."
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