“War. Pain. Victory.”
That is what European champion Franck Petitjean is promising to ship when he fights Adam Azim on Saturday evening.
Petitjean places his belt on the road when he bins Azim at The Halls in Wolverhampton, dwell on Sky Sports activities from 7pm.
His warning for the rising star was clear. Azim’s time could come, however the Frenchman was adamant it will not be now.
“He’s the new prospect. There’s a lot of people out there who want him to be like Amir Khan,” Petitjean informed Sky Sports activities.
“I hope he may have a superb profession. However he is by no means met somebody like me. I’ve had numerous fights overseas, Turkey, Senegal, Holland, Poland, Denmark and I like warfare. It would not matter to me.
“I’m the champion,” Petitjean continued. “He has to return, he has to point out that he has sufficient to be a European champion.
“I think the second part of the fight is going to very difficult for him. It’s going to be my fight.”
He has each intention of dragging Azim right into a battle and grinding him down. Petitjean would not really feel like a person risking his championship. As an alternative he appears like a fighter with one other victory to achieve.
“I think he’s going to have big pressure,” he mentioned of Azim.
“I have nothing to lose,” he continued, earlier than including darkly: “I love this game.”
Petitjean, although the reigning champion, has skilled defeat earlier than. That is one thing Azim, who’s solely had 9 professional fights earlier than this, merely can not ponder.
“He’s going to know the speed and the power, he’s not going to come forward to me,” Azim informed Sky Sports activities. “He knows what it feels like to lose as well. He’s going to have that mindset where he doesn’t want to lose again. Saturday night I’m going to make him lose again.”
If Azim is victorious on this, solely his tenth skilled contest, he’ll turn out to be the quickest Briton to win the European championship, beating Spencer Oliver’s document.
But despite the fact that he is had so few bouts, he believes he is already overwhelmed a better normal of opposition than Petitjean has within the latter’s lengthy profession.
“Every boxer’s going to talk. They have to big up the fight, it’s part and parcel anyway. He’s old. He’s been around, in the game quite a long time. But I don’t think he’s fought the fights that I’ve already fought. He hasn’t fought the calibre of opponents that I have,” Azim mentioned.
“He had a good win in his last fight [when Petitjean upset Samuel Molina to win the title]. But he’s going to feel the power, the speed, everything.
“I believe my normal of opposition has all the time been good. I really feel just like the calibre of opponents that he is fought just isn’t that nice.”
Azim has gained experience with solid victories over Santos Reyes and Aram Faniian this year.
His promoter Ben Shalom is convinced those 10-round wins are exactly what Azim needed. He told Sky Sports: “I believe due to these two fights we’ll see a profession greatest efficiency on Saturday evening. I believe he will set the world alight.
“I believe that is the second that he deserves. Loads of fighters wished to combat for this European belt. He bought there first, he deserved to get there first. He is doing issues that nobody else is doing at 21 years outdated.
“Where’s the next British superstar? For me Adam Azim is right at the top of that list and he’ll be looking to prove that on Saturday night.”
Azim believes he can deal with any method Petitjean takes within the combat.
“If he comes forward it’s a big mistake. At the start if he comes forward it’s a truly big mistake. If he walks into one he’s definitely going to feel it,” the Slough fighter mentioned.
“I don’t see what tactic he’s got to beat me. The only tactic he’s got is probably to get into my mindset but my mindset’s really focused.
“When you’ve got an excellent mindset the combat shall be good,” he continued. “I am very centered, very, very centered.
“I want to show a great masterclass on Saturday night, it’s going to be Arturo Gatti versus Mayweather. It’s going to be like that.”
‘Poulsen will not neglect what I do to Petitjean’
If Azim is victorious, he might look to make a defence of the European title. The necessary challenger could be Enock Poulsen.
Denmark’s Poulsen beat Petitjean over 12 rounds final 12 months and he shall be ringside in Wolverhampton to look at this championship combat unfold.
“He’s not going to forget what I do to Petitjean,” Azim mentioned. “He took Franck Petitjean the full rounds so hopefully I’ll be the one to knock him out.”
Azim’s coach Shane McGuigan identified: “It’s a big statement from us, pushing him this far so quickly.
“[Petitjean] is a southpaw, he throws good mixtures and he is very robust,” McGuigan continued. “It is precisely the combat that we would want. It is an excellent factor to have the ability to have a European title on the tip of it.
“He’s got a way of getting through fights, Petitjean. I know that Adam’s going to hurt him. It’s whether he’s going to finish him or not. He has all the ingredients to be able to finish him.”
McGuigan does count on there “to be an element of risk” although.
“You’ve got to put yourself in the firing line,” McGuigan mentioned. “To deliver your shots and look spectacular and knock people out, you have to stand there. He’s got plenty of that. He’s got plenty of heart.
“He will must that at some stage. He won’t be capable of outspeed all people.
“End of 2024, early 2025 we’re fighting for a [world] belt. That’s the plan. We just need to go out there and execute it.”
Watch Franck Petitjean vs Adam Azim dwell on Sky Sports activities Primary Occasion from 7pm