Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders are less than two months from finally fighting for Lee's WBO belt (knock on wood), after a pair of postponements pushed the fight from September to October and finally (knock on wood) to December.
Lee (34-2-1, 24 KO) and Saunders (22-0, 12 KO) sat down with BoxNation's Steve Bunce to discuss the fight recently. If you haven't seen part one of this interview feature, click here to catch up, then come back for part two above.
Asked if he felt that this was a different level, Saunders again admitted that at times, he has coasted in training, knowing he could beat opponents without putting in his greatest effort.
"No disrespect to all the boys I've boxed. John Ryder, good fighter. Nick Blackwell, good fighter," Saunders told Bunce. "But I knew I was beating them. I knew I was beating them even if I didn't put 100% into training."
Saying that this was a new level, Saunders added, "In my own head, I've never boxed a world champion before. I'm fighting one now. You don't go in and just know you're beating a world champion. You've got to go in there and work for it. He's worked hard to get that. I know how much he's going to want to keep it."
Lee, who has faced the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Peter Quillin (going 0-1-1 in those bouts, to be fair), said that this fight may not be as "physically" dangerous as some others, but that it means a ton to both men, and nobody wants to lose.
"This fight's different. It's at home. Reputation-wise, it's as dangerous (as any of my fights)," Lee said. "Neither of us want to lose this fight, because we're going to have to live with it for the rest of our lives.
"A fight is only 36 minutes long, but when you're in there it's a lifetime. What happens in those 36 minutes, we have to live with that for the rest of our lives. We'll be known for this fight. I'm not saying if we both go in there and put on a good fight, we won't be remembered well for it. But the winner will be the winner, and the loser will be the loser."