Thursday 8 December 2016 19:25, UK
Kal Yafai has the chance to bring a world title back to Birmingham and one man that came closer than anyone from the Second City, Matthew Macklin, can't wait to see history made...
It will be massively exciting to see Birmingham get a world champion, in the shape of Kal Yafai.
We've had Rob McCracken who fought Keith Holmes, Wayne Elcock who took on Arthur Abraham and me taking on pound-for-pounders like Gennady Golovkin and Sergio Martinez and then obviously against Felix Sturm, I felt really hard done by, but that is as close as we've come.
He has very extensive amateur background, including Beijing 2008 and he has matured as a professional, lived the life and stayed focused. What I like about Kal is he believes in himself as well
I think we would all like to see Kal get over the line and finally do it and bring a world title back to Birmingham. That will be brilliant to see, but I actually think he can - and will - do it.
It is a tough fight against Luis Concepcion but Kal is the real deal. I think he was the World Cadet champion as a kid, he has very extensive amateur background, including Beijing 2008 and he has matured as a professional, lived the life and stayed focused. What I like about Kal is he believes in himself as well.
I know the city will be behind him and it's something we all welcome. We probably haven't had the stronghold that London, Sheffield, Liverpool or Manchester have had in the amateurs but McCracken, myself and Frankie Gavin were probably the stand-outs of our eras. Now it has been passed on to Kal.
We haven't always had that strength in depth like those other cities but we've always produced quality fighters and it would be nice to push it over the line in the professional ranks. We are all rooting for him. Big time.
I haven't seen loads of Concepcion and he's not a marquee name whose career we would follow and I don't know lots about him but I do know he's good, a proper world champion and a tough fight for Kal.
But Kal has not been manoeuvred and manufactured and is a world-class fighter and I think we will see that on Saturday night. He will have to box the best he's ever done but knowing him and watched him fight, that won't be a problem.
Maybe I am Birmingham biased and I am not sure how he is going to do it, but Kal Yafai is going to become a world champion. I am looking forward to be ringside to see that.
Watch Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena, on December 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the event via your Sky remote or online here.
