John Ryder respects the threat posed by upcoming opponent Sergey Khomitsky

John Ryder says he has the "fear factor" ahead of his WBA International middleweight title clash with ‘Brit Basher’ Sergey Khomitsky at the Copper Box Arena in London on January 30, live on Sky Sports.

Ryder (21-2-KO12) is looking to kick off 2016 with a big win over the Belarussian banger but the Islington man is fully aware of the threat his foe carries.

Khomitsky's last outing in the UK saw him defeat talented Sheffield fighter Adam Etches with a brutal one-punch knockout in March, and the Copper Box was the scene of his clinical assault on popular Londoner Frank Buglioni in April 2014.

That element of fear is in me as I know what Khomitsky is capable of. Take no notice of his age, the last thing to go in a fighter is their power.

Ryder is gunning to get back into the exciting mix of young middleweight stars in the UK, but he knows he has to be on his guard against Khomitsky (30-12-3-KO13).

"There's a fear factor for me in this fight," said Ryder. "I'm doing things majorly differently to how I've approached fights before and that element of fear is in me as I know what Khomitsky is capable of. Take no notice of his age, the last thing to go in a fighter is their power, he'll have that until the end, so I know that this is a dangerous fight.

"He's showed power at super-middleweight and then shown that he can make middleweight and keep that power. He takes his opportunities where he can, whether they are at 168lbs or 160lbs, but he has had plenty of time to prepare for this fight so I expect him to be at his best.

"It's over a year since we were meant to fight and it didn't happen for one reason or another. But looking back at the mistakes I've made since then, and you think if that fight had happened a year ago, it could've been a bad night for me, but now I feel that it is a fight that I will definitely win.

"My diet and training has changed a lot since losing to Nick Blackwell. The most important thing in a loss is to learn from it. I don't want to lose any more fights and I know that I have put in hard work and the right type of work to get the win."

Ryder's clash with Khomitsky is part of a huge night of action in east London as super-middleweight star George Groves takes on Italian Andrea Di Luisa for the vacant WBC International title.

John Wayne Hibbert defends his Commonwealth and WBC International super-lightweight titles against Tommy Martin and Martin J Ward defends his WBC International super-featherweight strap against Italian Mario Pisanti.

Former footballer Leon McKenzie also continues his charge towards titles in the ring in a final eliminator for the English super-middleweight title against Kelvin Young.

You can watch Groves v Di Luisa, Ryder v Khomitsky plus much more on Saturday January 30, live on Sky Sports 1 HD