Carl Frampton believes Michael Conlan has all the tools to beat Luis Alberto Lopez and become World champion next weekend.
Conlan has his second shot at glory when he takes on the Mexican at Belfast's SSE Arena on Saturday night.
The Falls Road man lost out on his previous World title challenge, suffering a devastating knockout defeat to Leigh Wood in Nottingham last year.
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Frampton believes exhaustion derailed Conlan's first attempt, and he insists the 31-year-old will have to be 'switched on' throughout next Saturday's fight against Lopez.
The former two-weight World champion also believes defeat could detonate Conlan's hopes of fighting for a major belt again in the future.
And it's this risk and jeopardy that makes next Saturday night a pressure occasion for Conlan, according to the 'Jackal'.
"Nobody seems to be too sure who will win, which makes it a really interesting fight as it is so hard to call," Frampton told the Sunday Life.
"If Mick wins, he will have really earned his status as a world champion as Lopez is a good fighter with a decent chin and can punch hard enough to make you think twice about jumping in.
"He’s not the typical rough and rugged Mexican who marches forward with his hands high but is a little more flamboyant in that he jumps in from angles and is a little more unorthodox, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
"Mick is one of the most skilled fighters I’ve ever seen. He can be awkward and even frustrating to fight, but I think it will be a battle to see who gets frustrated first and that may be an issue for the guy who falls into the traps.
"What we don’t want to see is Mick getting over-eager and listening to the crowd, but he is experienced enough not to do that and fall away from his game plan.
"Lopez can be hit and although I wouldn’t say Mick is the most monstrous puncher in the world either, if his timing is good he can walk him onto a shot that doubles the impact."
Frampton added: "People talk about Lopez travelling to Belfast and that he may be affected by the partisan crowd, but have to remember that he went to Leeds and ripped the title off Josh Warrington — one of the most intimidating atmospheres I’ve experienced when watching Warrington — and it didn’t faze him, so I don’t think fighting here will spook him.
"Fighting at home can add a lot of pressure on Mick’s shoulders and I don’t envy that as I was always in those situations when fighting at home.
"It’s not a nice feeling and with this being his second crack at a world title having lost to Leigh Wood — more down to exhaustion from a gruelling fight than a lapse of concentration — at home against the champion, there is huge pressure to deliver this time as at 31, another defeat will mean he has a long way back.
"I expect Lopez is being well paid here but even so, the other champions may look at Conlan should he lose and think, ‘He’s been beaten twice, but he’s a hard night’s work and I don’t want anything to do with that’, so it may be hard to get another shot.
"But I hope he can as it would not only be massive for him but also for the other boys who are on the undercard coming behind him, just like myself when I was coming through on Paul McCloskey undercards.
"It certainly won’t be easy for Mick to get the victory on Saturday night, but I hope and think he can do it."
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