Guyana-born boxer Troy Ross will tonight take on Steve Cunningham for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight title in Mecklenburg, Germany.
Ross is a cousin of 1988 Olympic middleweight silver medallist, Guyana-born Egerton Marcus.
He represented Canada at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games where he competed in the light heavyweight division.
Yesterday Ross said he was focused on winning the fight.
“It’s been a long road, but we’re finally here now and we’re definitely going to take (the title) home,” press reports quoted Ross as saying yesterday.
Ross rose to prominence last February when he won the boxing reality television series “The Contender” by knocking out Ehinomen Ehikhamenor in four rounds in the final.
The win earned him a summer 2009 shot at the WBO title but the bout never materialized.
His opponent Cunningham is a former world champion who has boxed his way to 22 wins in 24 professional bouts. Cunningham’s promoters German-based Sauerland promotions are staging the event.
Ross, who has a record of 23 wins and one defeat with 16 knockouts, says he will not leave for the judges to rule on.
“I know I have power in both hands, it’s just a matter of which one catches him first,” he declared.
President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Peter Abdool told Stabroek Sport in an invited comment last night that he hopes Ross can come to Guyana win or lose to display his talent for the locals. He added that the board was fully behind Ross and wished him every success in tonight’s clash.
