I have always been told to expect the unexpected — and Saturday night is just that.
This fight is not the one I expected next for me, and I’m sure that is the same for anyone else that will be inside the O2 or watching on TV.
I fully anticipated doing my ring walk with the prospect of Dillian Whyte being the man standing in there waiting for me.
That’s not the case, but that’s boxing, things change. I’m not here to talk about the rights or wrongs of his adverse analytical finding.
All I can really say is that I was looking forward to facing him. We’ve fought once before and he’s had a fair bit to say about me since my last fight. I felt ready to put a few things straight.
But that’s boxing and, instead of Whyte, I’ve got a completely different opponent waiting for me in Robert Helenius.
Sure, he got undone by Deontay Wilder inside a single round not so long ago, but that’s the heavyweight division — one punch and you can be done for. Believe me, I’ve been there and experienced it… on both sides.
But among others, he has taken Whyte the distance and all credit to him for being the man to step up to face me on Saturday night.
Boxing is about respect and I always respect every single fighter that dares to step into the ring with me. And you have to remember it takes just one moment to end a fight or for it to be ended for you.
Of course, you approach things a little differently depending on who you are facing but, when you strip it down to the same basics, the reality is I have to win on Saturday night and I’m still laser focused on getting that win. All the other noise that’s gone on around that these past few days is totally immaterial.
It’s dangerous to talk about any heavyweight fight as a stepping stone, but this fight was, in many ways, part of a planned trilogy for this year and beyond. I wanted Whyte first, then Wilder and finally Tyson Fury after that.
I’m still willing to fight all three when the time and place comes, that hasn’t shifted at all. This is merely the latest stop on my boxing journey.
It’s a journey rooted in Dallas with my coach Derrick James, but it has taken me to Las Vegas and finally down to the same pocket of south-west London where I prepared for the Jermaine Franklin fight, the same boxing gym and the same house I shared with my inner team.
I feel a bit like a caged beast that’s been locked away ready to be unleashed.
Training camps are all about sacrifices, the early starts, the long days, putting in 100 per cent effort in every session and pushing yourself harder than ever before. Saturday night is about proving it was all worth it.
Be it Whyte, Helenius or anyone else, I’ve trained to be ready for a 12-round fight. I felt the same way with Dillian as my actual weekend rival — this is just another body coming for me.
I don’t think either fighter can stop me, but I’ve got to prove that and bring the heat.
We’re in the final days and I feel a bit like a caged beast that’s been locked away ready to be unleashed. I’m ready for the battlefield, it’s just a different battle plan and fighter in front of me.
I want to win, I will win. Tune in, you’ll see a peak performance from me.
