Florian Marku and Dylan Moran had to be pulled apart when they faced off ahead of their fight on Saturday; Marku vs Moran will be on the Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch undercard live on Sky Sports Box Office; also on the bill is Adam Azim vs Aram Fanyan and much more
Thursday 31 August 2023 17:29, UK
The tension was palpable as Florian Marku and Dylan Moran engaged in a heated exchange during the pre-fight press conference ahead of their showdown on the undercard of Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr II this Saturday.
The verbal sparring between the pair reached its zenith when the focus shifted to the boxing abilities of the fighters. Moran didn't hold back, asserting his belief that he had the superior skillset and that he wouldn't let Marku deny him his hard-earned position in the sport.
"I'm a better boxer. Look, it's been a long, hard road to be sat here today and I don't plan on letting Florian Marku take that away from me," he said.
But Marku accused Moran of shaking during their encounter at the public workouts.
Marku declared: "He was shaking when we were face to face, he tried to hide it. If you see the videos from the cameras, he was shaking his legs."
This was a claim that Moran vehemently denied, asserting: "Never in my life will I shake in front of you."
Moran maintained his focus on the task at hand.
"He's standing in my way. It's been a lifetime of hard work to be sat here and I plan on finishing the job Saturday night," he said.
Marku, exuding confidence, declared: "I'm going to hunt him. I know he's going to try to box, he going to try to run, but I will be too much for him."
Another fight on the undercard which is generating excitement is the heavyweight clash between Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke and David Allen.
Allen will look for a huge upset on Saturday night and although he knows his task is a tricky one, he is confident of victory.
Allen said: "I've known him a very long time. I've known him since 2012. We've done a lot of rounds together [in sparring]. I know what he's capable of. He's a very good fighter. I've been out for a long time. I know it's a difficult ask for me, but I expect to win. I wouldn't be here if not."
Clarke, 7-0 as a professional, was last out in June where he dominated Mariusz Wach over 10 rounds to secure a unanimous decision and looks to continue his winning ways.
He said: "I come to win fights and have my hand raised at the end. My job is to land more leather on Dave Allen than he lands on me."
"Big Fraze" also responded to Allen's claims he is the better boxer, he said: "Dave outboxing me is like me saying that I'm going to become an underwear model for Calvin Klein. I just can't see it happening."
Undefeated prospect Adam Azim takes on his toughest challenge in 23-1 Aram Fanyan and although Azim has only eight professional fights under his belt, he is relishing the challenge.
The 21-year-old said: "I'm treating every single fight like a world title fight. I've got to take fights like this to develop myself and I feel like my confidence has doubled up. This is going to be the best performance you have ever seen in your life."
Lauren Price also returns to the ring against Lolita Muzeya after winning the inaugural British female welterweight championship in May.
Muzeya's only career defeat came in 2021 when she was stopped by Savannah Marshall. Since then has won her next two fights via knockout and is confident of that continuing against Price.
She said: "I'll beat her on Saturday. She is going to have one loss. I am going to KO her."
Price was full of confidence herself and is targeting a big fight with Natasha Jonas, once victory is secured on Saturday night.
"I believe in how good I am, and I will get the win on Saturday night. I'd love that fight with Tasha Jonas at the end of the year," Price said.
Mikaela Mayer returns to the UK to face former European champion Silvia Bortot and hopes to make a statement with a potential opponent Lauren Price on the card too.
Mayer said: "I know it'll be action-packed but I'm excited to show what I've been working on in the gym."
The British super-middleweight title is on the line when Jack Cullen challenges Mark Heffron. Cullen was bullish in his prediction: "I'm not here for a payday. I'm coming to fight for it, I'm coming to win. There's no excuses on fight night. I'm ready for it."
Heffron showed respect to Cullen but wasn't backing down from his knockout victory prediction.
"Jack's a good fighter, but makes a lot of mistakes," he said. "And I will make him pay."
Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr II is live on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday. Book it now
