Lucas Roehrig, the protege of elite world champion George Groves, is ready to make his mark. On Saturday, in his 10th pro fight, Roehrig takes on Scottish champion Connal McDonald live on Sky Sports. For Roehrig this fight is a key step in his career and he wants to make it a breakthrough win.
He is looking forward to making a statement with an A-class performance and really putting on a show. Roehrig expects McDonald to be a threat after he beat Scott Forrest in his last fight, calling him a good boxer with a good amateur pedigree and a good mover who will come to win and fight. Roehrig is the first fighter George Groves, a former WBA world champion and one of the big stars of British boxing, decided to train.
Groves saw something special in the youngster, noting Roehrig has speed and power in abundance and is fun to train with, and will be an exceptional fighter. Groves was known for his resilience and strong mentality. His work on Roehrig's mind is going to be particularly telling.
There's a lot of sessions where it's physically hard, but the goal is to try and break me mentally, Roehrig said. Groves explained it's now really about your mental preparation being on point all the time, learned from his battle of the mind with James De Gale. It's something you have to work on and develop.
He is always subjecting Roehrig to tests, whether the prospect realises it or not, putting him in to spar with Jai Opetaia, arguably the world's best cruiserweight, before Roehrig had even had a professional fight. To see how you can handle the pressure, if you're going to crumble, if you're going to complain. He pushed me and I didn't fold.
That's what gives you the confidence on fight night. I've already been through the trenches, I can really flourish now. Watch Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald this Saturday live on Sky Sports.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing