Sunday 23 August 2015 15:51, UK
Gennady Golovkin says facing fellow knock-out specialist David Lemieux has got him scared.
The middleweight supremo takes on the hard-hitting Canadian in a unification showdown in Madison Square Garden, New York, in October.
And although 'GGG' might have a 91 per cent knock-out rate compared to Lemieux's 86 per cent, the WBA champion admits he is slightly worried about what lies ahead.
I know my job is very short and this is a very big job. It's very exciting, amazing for me... and scary!
"I know my job is very short and this is a very big job," he told behindthegloves.
"It's very exciting, amazing for me... and scary!
"I'm a little scared. I am a regular guy, I'm not a crazy guy - maybe one per cent - because I understand my situation. I understand this is a sport, not a game.
"This is scary. I am scared. Why not?"
Golovkin (33-0-KO30) will be making his 14th consecutive world title defence and had talked of moving down to try and face Floyd Mayweather or up to super-middleweight, to take on Andre Ward.
But with Lemieux (34-2-KO31) winning the IBF title in May and going straight for unification in his first defence, Golovkin is certain he will be his hardest opponent to date.
"He's my toughest yet," he said.
"It's very interesting. This is a big step for me. It's not just his power, it's his mentality. He's serious and he's not scared. He is a very hungry guy. He's a champion, the IBF champion, so it's a big thing."
