Lerrone Richards says Carlos Gongora is a hazardous threat but promises to show his skills in the December 18 clash.

Richards (15-0, 3 KO) challenges undefeated IBO super middleweight champion Gongora (20-0, 15 KO) at the AO Arena in Manchester on the back of stablemate Derek Chisora’s rematch with Joseph Parkerlive on DAZN.

Gongora handed Ali Akhmedov his first defeat in the fight for the vacant title and he has since defended himself by defeating Christopher Pearson, and “Sniper the Boss” admits he is well aware of the task ahead of him against the Ecuadorian champion.

“There’s a huge fight coming up,” Richards said proboxing-fans.com.

“This is a huge step forward for me and I can’t wait to showcase my skills again.

“I’ve seen a few of his fights, so I watch everything, I watch every show I can watch.

“I’ve seen him a little bit and I know he’s a good boxer, a robust puncher, a hazardous operator and I can’t wait, I can’t wait for this fight, I really can’t.

“I believe that skill always pays the bills, so you know what I bring to the table and you’ll see Lerrone Richards with a little more spice than what you saw last time.”

Richards, a former British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion, put in a dominant display to win the vacant European title by unanimous decision over Giovanni De Carolis in May.

Despite almost being thrown out of the ring on the judges’ scorecards, the 29-year-old, who is ranked 10th behind undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez according to the WBO, insists there is still something to work on.

“I know what I can do, I know what I can bring to the table,” Richards added.

“If anything, it wasn’t a great, great performance for me, it wasn’t my best.

“But I’m glad I entertained everyone, showed everyone what I can bring to the table, even just a little bit.

“There is always room for improvement and I will never stand here and say I am a perfect player.

“It’s about progress, it’s about learning and you should see me perform better in my next fight.”

Watch the full interview with Lerrone Richards below:

Sky Sports head of boxing development Adam Smith believes Amir Khan and Kell Brook could have put on an even better fight than if they had met in their prime.

Khan and Brook will finally settle their long-running 149lb catchweight feud on February 19 at the AO Arena in Manchester, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

British rivals pushed each other ahead first press conference last month and we exchanged words back and forth in several heated exchanges.

After years of talks and doubts whether this fight would even happen, BOXXER secured the promotional rights and tickets sold out in 10 minutes on Monday, and Smith believes it could exceed all expectations.

“Khan and Brook are great for this,” Smith said proboxing-fans.com at the first press conference on November 29.

“They don’t like each other, it’s true. They have not liked each other for many years.

“They don’t have the respect they have for other players and they want to get along with each other, so Amir will be training in Terence Crawford’s camp and they take it really seriously.

“That’s why Kell is with us [trainer] Dominik [Ingle]back to the place he knows best, back to Wincobank and they will be ready for February 19th and it will be fantastic, [a] I think it’s a case of last man standing.

“Stylistically and at this point in their careers, I think it could be an even better fight because I think there is a hole there.

“I think there’s still power there. I think the skills are there, but the speed is a little less, the reflexes will be a little less.

“They will be a little creaky in both bodies, but they will go through absolutely anything to get into top shape.

“I think being 149 and not 147 just above the welterweight limit is good for their bodies. I think they will give us a little fight back.”

Khan, a former unified super lightweight champion, has won three of his last five fights with losses to Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford and will end more than 19 months of inactivity on Feb. 19, having not fought since a fourth-round stoppage of Billy Dib in July 2019.

Former IBF welterweight champion Brook was defeated in four rounds by WBO champion Crawford last November and will fight for the first time since suffering only the third defeat of his career, with the other two facing Gennady Golovkin after a brave move to middleweight. before an 11th round loss to Errol Spence Jr.

The price of the Khan vs. Brook fight has not yet been confirmed, and Smith insists that the main attraction of the fight is that it will air on pay-per-view.

“Sky Sports Box Office is about special nights,” Smith explained.

“The box office attraction is in the name. It’s a starry fight, it’s a starry night.

“It’s something that regular football fans will love, it’s something that boxing fans have been waiting for for a very long time.

“We want to give our all in every fight, let’s be straightforward. We have a great lineup of fights on Sky. Eubank vs Williams, postponed fight, January 29 in Cardiff on Sky Sports, Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall on Sky Sports.

“But there is a lot of money involved in this fight. You know it took a long time to do this. It is produced on Sky Sports Box Office.

“Better to have it on Sky Sports Box Office on February 19 than not to have it when they both retire.”

Watch the full interview with Adam Smith below:

Michael Conlan insists Leigh Wood is not prepared for the pressure of fighting in front of home fans ahead of his March 12 featherweight world title fight.

Wood defends his WBA featherweight title for the first time against Conlan at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham – the champion’s hometown.

Conlan has fought most of his 16-fight career away from his native Belfast, although he made his third home appearance in August, defeating TJ Doheny in front of a raucous crowd at Falls Park, and claims his rival underestimated the weight of expectation ahead of him.

“I know exactly what it’s like to fight under that kind of pressure or to fight at home,” the 30-year-old said during his second press conference in Belfast on Thursday.

“I did it three times and each performance was huge. Lots of people, so many expectations, a specially built arena in the park.

“This guy doesn’t understand it, he has never felt it, you can see that his behavior has changed since yesterday.

“He doesn’t understand the pressure of fighting in your hometown, he had the opportunity to fight at MSG and he can come to Belfast and fight if he wants.

“But no, he wants to fight in Nottingham, at the City Ground, before he retires. He knows I can beat him.”

Wood impressively dethroned Xu Can after a last-round stoppage in August to become the WBA champion, marking consecutive knockout victories since joining the trainer, Ben Davison.

Conlan, who is competing in his maiden world title fight, insists he has no concerns about the 33-year-old’s strength.

“I was proud of him, I wished Leigh good luck the week of the fight and I really wanted him to win,” Conlan said at his first press conference in Nottingham on Wednesday.

“I have a lot of respect for him, he seems like a really good guy and I’ve heard a lot of good things about him.

“I have the utmost respect for him as a man and a fighter, but fuck it all until after the fight. Let’s finish the fight.

“I have fought with substantial boxers all my life, I have fought over 250 fights in the amateur category and I have had many sparring rounds with substantial boxers – Oscar Valdez.

“I have an answer to everything Leigh does. I know what type of player he is. He hits demanding, but his feet are leisurely and his head is spinning. I will strike before him.”