Heavyweight contender Demsey McKean (22-0, 14 KOs) feels confident that he will upset the odds when he collides with IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs) on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
McKean is the underdog, but he is not intimidated by Hrgovic’s reputation.
In his last fight, Hrgovic had to get off the floor and fight through fire to gain a close decision victory over Zhilei Zhang. Some observers felt Zhang had done enough to win.
McKean feels the contest is, at best, a 50-50 fight.
An upset win would place him in line for a mandatory shot at unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“I’ve been back in the UK since December and been in the gym since January. We were looking to fight in May and it got pushed back a bit, but it’s good that we got the date to hone in on and a blessing in disguise as we got more time with Tony Sims to learn, he is one of the best coaches in the world and it shows it with the stable of fighters he has, and I’m looking to put it all into play on Saturday,” McKean said.
“I wake up every morning and tell myself: 36 minutes is all it takes to change my life. There have been bigger upsets in heavyweight boxing, and I think that this is a very even fight. He waffles on about ‘who has he knocked out that I haven’t knocked out?’ Well, who has he decisively beaten? He only has Zhilei Zhang and that was a controversial decision, so we have similar CVs as each other.
“He’s a good fighter, I just think I have the tools to beat him and give him a hell of a night. I have good footwork, good head movement, hand-speed, punch selection and good power. I’m just excited, I think he’s going to bring out the best in me, he’s a good contender and I can’t wait for that.”