T&T boxer Nigel Paul intends to make Tuesday's AIBA World Boxing Championship encounter against Berat Acar of Turkey as easy and as simple as possible at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.
He will take the ring from about 9:30 am to 10 am on Tuesday morning his coach Reynold Cox has said.
A win for Paul will put him into the semifinal round of his Super Heavyweight division fight, and in with a chance to be among the medals. Paul spent the whole of Monday preparing mentally for his counterpart who he said is shorter than him.
" I feel alright, I feel good, I feel confident. So far you see the success we've been having, so with every fight, the confidence goes up and I just have a sense of readiness right now.
Against Acar, clearly, there is a height advantage so we're going to use that in the fight. Obviously, a shorter fighter coming in to fight somebody taller will have to force the issue, come in and apply pressure, so we will have to answer with some uppercuts, body shots, keep him on the outside and make the fight as clear and as easy as possible," Paul said.
He is fresh from a bruising encounter with Spain's Ayoub Ghadfa in the round of 16 which he eventually won 4-1. But Cox has warned against underestimating fighters, noting that at this level of competition, every fight is a difficult one.
Paul said his focus will be on execution, knowing that the room for error is very slim to non-existent.
" We have just been having talks and discussions, myself and the coaches to ensure that my head stays on and to ensure we execute on whatever plan or strategy we have for the fight. So it's just about trusting the work and executing on the tactics that we've put in place," Paul noted.
A victory will also put Paul in line for much-needed cash incentives at the tournament, courtesy of AIBA.