Tommy McCarthy is on a mission to claim WBA Inter-Continental title

The Belfast cruiserweight knows that this a huge opportunity for him to get him self in the mix for a shot at a major title later this year if he can see off undefeated Riakporhe this weekend.

“I feel good and I am happy to be here and I am very confidant. I have been waiting for the last two years for this opportunity to come along and be on this stage.

“My career got off to a great start but then it was stop, start. So thankfully I am back where I belong - fighting in championship fights, live on television and this is an opportunity that I am not going to let slip.

“I am determined to get he job done and I have been looking world class in the gym so I am excited for the fight,” said McCarthy.

And McCarthy says his rival is nothing to be scared of.

“I haven’t seen anything I’m worried about. He’s limited, he’s like a big novice boxer if you watch him.

“In his mind and in the media’s he is this big, devastating puncher – he has seven stoppage wins and I have six and I have fought better opposition than him. There’s not much difference in our punch power, I’m a big puncher myself. I always have been since the amateurs.

“He has been doing a lot of talking but I haven’t said much because I don’t really need to. Anything he says has been pretty much nonsense.”

And McCarthy knows he has to deliver when the first bell rings.

“It’s a big, big opportunity for me. It’s a fight that I believe I can win. A win here gets me in the top 10 in the world with the WBA, it’s really exciting. It’s an opportunity that I’m going to take with both hands.

“If you get into the top ten that’s make you eligible for a world title shot.

“The talk is that Oleksandr Usyk is going to move up to heavyweight and vacate his world titles.

“We’re looking at the possibility of winning this and maybe by the end of the year being in world title contention.”