On not fearing Kovalev: "Why should I be? I've worked hard. If I want to be the best, I have to beat the best. I respect Sergey. Of course, you've got to. He's got massive knockout power. I respect that. But I'm still confident in myself, in my team, in my game plans, and I'll get the job done."
On what he does well: "I've got a good defense. I've got everything it takes. I've got the ring generalship, I've got the boxing smarts, and I can frustrate opponents. I can see the frustration after a couple of rounds. I'm a bit awkward, as people would say. I've just got to bring a bit more attack to my game, which I've been working on. And I do have the pop to hurt him, to hurt anyone."
On his nickname, 'Il Capo': "I'm half-Italian, and it just sort of rhymes with the surname, and it means the boss. I'm the boss of the ring. That's where I got it from. It's not a scary story or a violent story, I can't give you that."
Prediction: "I'm gonna win. Whether it's by knockout, but I'm gonna fight hard for 36 minutes, and I'm gonna bring home the W."