McKinson ready to battle Pavko
World-ranked welterweight Michael McKinson is eager to trade blows with menacing Russian Evgeny Pavko for the WBO European title on Saturday.
“The Problem” (16-0, 2 KOs) has already claimed WBC Youth and WBC International Silver honors and now steps up again to take on hard-hitting Pavko (18-2-1, 13 KOs) on a stacked #MTKFightNight – live on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank and on iFL TV as well.
Far from being intimidated by his visitor’s knockout record, McKinson welcomes the chance to reiterate his class against lofty opposition back at the scene of March’s comprehensive victory over Ryan Kelly.
McKinson said ahead of the 10-round showdown in a press release: “I know Pavko is a Russian so he’s bound to be tough and he’s clearly a puncher too. He’s going to come over looking to take my head off but that excites me. He can try!
“Like I always do under pressure, I’ll perform better. Diamonds are made under pressure. I’d much rather have the motivation to produce the goods when it comes to these big fights.
“I’m still relatively early in my career. I’m always improving and developing in the gym. You’ve only seen a little bit of what I’m capable of.
“My potential is massive. With these big fights, people can check in on my journey and each time, they’ll be more and more excited by what they see. I’m heading for the top.”
Joining the McKinson vs. Pavko title fight on a busy bill is a WBC world lightweight title eliminator between unbeaten Northampton favorite Chantelle Cameron and Malawian KO machine Anisha Basheel, plus a Southern Area welterweight collision between Shaquille Day and Louis Adolphe.
There is plenty of interest on the undercard, too, with fast-rising super-lightweight Harlem Eubank, former world kickboxing champion Jay Whelan and many more look to stake their claims.
