Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez declared his mission for Saturday's trilogy fight with bitter rival Gennady Golovkin is to "finish him off" inside the distance.
After a split draw in their first fight five years ago, Canelo was declared the winner of their September 2018 rematch by a majority decision.
He edged a tight contest 115-113 on two of the judges' cards, with the other judge unable to split the fighters, while many observers thought Golovkin had been the superior fighter.
It means there is unfinished business heading into the long-awaited third fight, which, like the first two, will play out at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Golovkin, now 40 years of age, is a big underdog this time, while 32-year-old Canelo must handle the pressure of being the man expected to reign in the ring.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Canelo said: "I feel great, I'm ready for this weekend, so I can't wait. I'm very excited.
"I was very happy when I won the second fight because I knew I won the first fight, too, so I was really happy."
There is a real dislike between the fighters on a personal basis, with Mexican Canelo open about his disdain for Kazakh Golovkin.
"As a fighter, he's a great fighter, but as a person I don't like him," Canelo said.
The boxing website Boxrec rates Canelo as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, placing Golovkin ninth on that list.
Nothing would give Canelo more pleasure than being able to settle fight three against 'Triple G' without the need for judges this time.
By channelling his personal feelings towards Golovkin into his punching, Canelo is confident of getting the job done.
"It gives you that extra motivation of wanting to win, to go and finish him off basically," Canelo said. "That's what I've been training for and that's what I'm hoping to do on Saturday."
Golovkin carries a 42-1-1 pro career record into the fight, while Canelo is 57-2-2 after slipping up in a light-heavyweight clash with Dmitry Bivol in May, also at T-Mobile Arena.
He narrowly lost on points to his Russian opponent that day, after going up a weight, and is adamant the recent experience of defeat will not hinder him come bell time on Saturday.
"It gives me extra motivation to come back," Canelo said. "Sometimes in boxing you win or lose, but I'm going to come back stronger than ever.
"I did something that I didn't need to do, going up a division, I have no right to go up there, but that's what happens. I lost this, and I need to accept it like a man and come back stronger than ever, and that's what I'll be doing."
On This Day in 2016: Tony Bellew wins WBC world cruiserweight title
Tony Bellew won the vacant WBC world cruiserweight title against Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park on this day in 2016.
Fighting at the home of his beloved Toffees, the Everton fan put on a show, claiming the belt with a third-round knockout.
Makabu had entered the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite and started well, sending Bellew to the canvas in the opening round with a left-hand shot.
However, the Liverpudlian quickly recovered with a barrage of combinations in the third round to floor Makabu.
The win meant Bellew won a world title at the third time of asking after previous bouts at light-heavyweight against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson ended in defeat.
Bellew, who played ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan in Sylvester Stallone’s film Creed, admitted he had “achieved a dream”.
“I am Everton, and that’s why I got up. Nothing was going to stop me tonight,” he said.
“I’ve achieved a dream tonight, all those people who said I couldn’t do it, well I’ve done it. I’m world champion, that’s what I am!
“The last time I saw something like that I was in a Hollywood movie, now it’s real. I’ve lived the dream tonight. I am the best cruiserweight in the world, I have proven it tonight.”
Katie Taylor sets sights on Chantelle Cameron rematch and not retirement
Katie Taylor laughed off talk of retirement after her first professional defeat this month and is targeting a November rematch against Chantelle Cameron.
Taylor’s bid to become undisputed world champion in two weight categories simultaneously fell flat as the previously unbeaten lightweight was outpointed on her Ireland homecoming by Cameron in Dublin.
Cameron, who retained her four light-welterweight world titles with the majority decision win, has intimated she wants to step down to 135lbs to challenge for Taylor’s belts in any return bout.
And the 36-year-old Taylor insisted her only priority is another showdown with Cameron, telling RTE: “I don’t even know what retirement means. I definitely don’t feel like it’s time for me to retire.
“It will happen one day in the future, but now my sights are set on securing a rematch with Chantelle. That’s the only fight that matters to me now. I think we’re looking at a November date.
“I haven’t looked back on the fight yet. I think the right person won. I have to take the loss and move on from it. I’m just excited to get back to America to start training again for the rematch.
“I will learn from this. I definitely didn’t feel myself in there. I did feel very, very tired straight away. I’ll just have to go back to the drawing board.
“I’m definitely not going to end my career like that.”
Leigh Wood regains featherweight title with victory over Mauricio Lara
Leigh Wood regained his WBA featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Mauricio Lara in Manchester.
The fight was scored 118-109, 116-111, 118-109 in Wood’s favour after he turned in a disciplined performance to nullify the best of the threats Lara had to offer.
Lara boasted a four-pound advantage after Friday’s dramatic weigh-in, when he failed to make the nine-stone limit and was stripped of his belt, with Wood opting to take the fight anyway.
The Nottingham fighter made the most of that decision as he had Lara on the canvas in only the second round with a right uppercut and stayed on the attack, despite Lara managing to open up a cut above his left eye in the fourth round.
Lara, behind on the cards, continued to target that eye but Wood kept dancing and was in control as Lara struggled to make anything pay.
Wood struck the Mexican with a powerful left hook which left him wobbling in the 11th and it was effectively beyond doubt by that point, with Wood jumping onto the ropes to celebrate even before the judges confirmed his victory.
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