Hannah Rankin insists she’ll relish the role of villain as she defends her world title belts against Terri Harper on September 24.
Rankin, 32, has just returned from a gruelling training camp in the US.
And the Luss fighter reckons sparring there with multiple world champion Claressa Shields will ensure that she’s in the best shape to retain her IBO and WBA super welterweight belts.
Hannah retained her titles in front of a vocal Scottish crowd at the Hydro in Glasgow earlier this year.
Now she faces a hostile crowd as she takes on Harper on her home soil in Nottingham.
But Hannah can’t wait to defy the partisan crowd. She said: “I’m so excited, it’s going to be brilliant to get out there and defend my titles.
“I’m very confident. My team and I have a great game plan.
“It has been an exciting one for us to prepare for.
“I will be retaining those titles, keeping them for Scotland and defending what’s mine.
“I will probably be looked at as the villain because I’m Scottish.
“When people want to doubt you then it always fuels me.
“I’ve worked hard to be where I am and it’s already sold out. It’s the kind of night that you live for as a fighter.
“ It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of me, I’m proud to be Scotland’s first female world champion.
“When I get in there I’ll be representing home, keeping what belongs to me and bringing those belts home.”
Hannah is confident that she’s in perfect shape for the bout, having swapped Scotland’s rain for the sizzling Florida heat.
She continued: “We decided to get some hot weather training.
“It just happened to work out perfectly with Claressa Shields finishing her camp, so we got a few rounds in.
“It’s always great to join Claressa. It’s always good to have two world champions in a camp training together.
“Obviously we had our beef when we fought, but she’s one of my good friends now. She’s pound-for-pound one of the greatest female fighters of all time. You can’t knock that preparation. We push each other to do new things in training. I always want to learn. To be the best you have to work with the best. That’s my mindset.
“It has been fantastic preparation.”
And she believes that fighting a former super featherweight champion will bring advantages.
Hannah stressed: “I’m not underestimating Terri. She’s coming from a lower weight class, but she’s a former world champion. She’s experienced these big fight nights. But I don’t believe Terri is a true 154lb fighter.
“ I’m sure she feels great. She’s just cutting around doing what she wants to do at the moment. I think cutting the weight and putting the extra work in always makes you hungrier – quite literally as well as for success.”
Rankin v Harper is available to watch on DAZN on Saturday September 24.
