Michael Conlan believes he can ill afford to lose this weekend when he faces Karim Guerfi.
The featherweight duo meet in Belfast on Saturday in a fight shown live on ESPN+ (US viewers click to watch here).
Conlan came up against Leigh Wood earlier this year and suffered a dramatic late defeat, and speaking at a press conference ahead of his next fight, the Irishman acknowledged the test ahead of him.
“A loss for me at this stage, regardless of who it is, is bad,” he said.
“I need to keep winning, especially if I want to fight for a world title again. Beating Karim Guerfi is what I’m expected to do, what I need to do and I think I will.
“I could be fighting for a world title in March, but I’m not overlooking Guerfi because if I don’t beat him, that is gone.
“I know I’m going to put on a really good performance and believe I’ll knock Karim Guerfi out.”