Carl Frampton insists underdog Tyrone McKenna has every right to share the ring with Regis Prograis on Saturday night.
McKenna takes on Prograis at the Dubai Tennis Centre in what is a huge test for the Belfast fighter.
The bookmakers have installed Prograis - whose only defeat so far has come against Josh Taylor - as an overwhelming 1/25 favourite to get his hand raised.
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Some boxing fans have labelled the contest a mismatch, but Frampton is confident McKenna will step up to the plate in Dubai.
"It is a huge fight," former two-weight world champion Frampton told Belfast Live.
"Tyrone asked me to tweet Prograis a couple of times which I did, so hopefully that helped him take the bait and that's part of the reason he took the fight.
"Tyrone deserves a lot of credit. Again, this is another fight where he will go into it as underdog, and rightfully so.
"I think Prograis is probably the number two light-welterweight on the planet behind Josh Taylor. He is an incredible fighter. But Tyrone McKenna will literally fight anybody and he will give them a hard fight.
"He is as tough as nails. He gets hurt in every fight and just fights back. He comes back and wins rounds when he's hurt, a real throwback fighter."
Frampton added: "You hear people saying stuff like 'stay in your own lane' and 'you've no right to be fighting Prograis'. Why not? What is it?
"It's one or the other. This guy wants to be involved in big fights but people are giving him stick for it. I hate that part of the game.
"Tyrone will give a good account of himself and it could be another fight where his stock rises, no matter what happens."
McKenna's gunslinger style has earned the 32-year-old plenty of fans over the years.
Happy to trade in the centre of the ring, the Belfast man's fights are usually worth the entrance fee alone.
But while McKenna's heart has dragged him through plenty of fights, Frampton hopes the cavaliering approach doesn't take its toll.
Frampton added: "It is a hard, hard fight for Tyrone. And although it is exciting to watch, I hope he is making a wee bit of money from it which I know he will be.
"But it comes to a point where how important is the money when you can't count it.
"I know Tyrone is a throwback fighter, but I am reading a book at the minute about CTE and brain trauma in boxing, and it got me thinking of guys like Tyrone who fight like Tyrone.
"There are more important things in life.
"But I am looking forward to the fight, and it is another one like Jack Catterall where he could do better than expected."
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