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Matthew Hatton is adamant he's fine being labelled as the underdog when he faces Kell Brook on March 17th in Sheffield.
March 17th will see Hatton compete in his 50th fight, which is almost twice as many as his opponent Brook who's had 26 bouts.
The 30-year-old Mancunian is hoping that his experience can see him through the fight and be the first man to beat Brook in his pro career.
Speaking to Skysports Hatton said:
"I'm very proud to be racking up my 50th fight which is a lot for a modern day fighter and a landmark night for me and I want to celebrate in style. I enjoy being the underdog. I'm a stubborn character by nature and people are making me a massive underdog going into this fight; I certainly don't see it that way.
This is a fight I go into confident of winning, expecting to win and I like to prove people wrong and being the underdog hasn't worried me throughout my career, and certainly won't do on the 17th. A year ago I was in LA to fight Saul Alvarez, I stepped up a weight division for that and gave away a big size difference. The fight against Kell is a level playing field and weight won't be an issue.
I believe I'm a better fighter, more experienced fighter, I think it will be a really tough fight and I've got a lot of respect for Kell Brook..I've prepared for a long tough battle and I believe that's what it will be. He'll bring his A game as well and I believe it will be a great fight for the fans."
I personally can't help but like Matthew Hatton, I think he is a hard working fighter who isn't a world beater but tries very hard. I think the media have been a little harsh on him labelling him as the younger brother of Ricky Hatton at every given opportunity because he is his own man. From the interview you can tell he's confident going into the fight and I can see it being a good scrap.
I can't see Brook stopping Hatton but I can see him winning. On Ringside last week Bob Shannon expressed his thoughts about the fight and explained how he prepares his fighters. He claimed he saw a constant fault in Brook's work, but even so I can't see Brook being beaten. This has to go down as his biggest test, and it will be interested to see what he's got to offer. Many are predicting world stardom for Brook but he will need to work very hard to overcome Hatton.