Connal McDonald intends to upset Lucas Roehrig in their Zuffa Boxing debut on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports. Roehrig is an exciting cruiserweight prospect guided by former world champion George Groves. However, McDonald has underrated credentials. He is the Scottish titlist and was an experienced amateur. Notably, in the unpaid ranks, he beat Daniel Dubois in the final of the Great British Youth championships in 2014 when they were teenagers. Dubois, of course, is now a formidable two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
McDonald recalled the 2014 final, stating he was very confident and borderline cocky at the time. He remembers Dubois walking out massive and built like a superhero. McDonald was 17 and Dubois was either 16 or 17. McDonald had the mindset of 'I'm going to smash him'. He stood in the ring thinking he would school and smash his opponent. It was a tough fight, but McDonald was landing quite a lot of shots and definitely thought he won. Looking back, he never would have thought Dubois would go on to be one of the world's best heavyweights.
McDonald warned Roehrig: 'No matter who's in there I'm going to go in and win. I'll be ready to go.' The bout represents a clash of experience and youth, with McDonald looking to replicate his amateur success against a much more experienced professional opponent.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing