Tony Bellew has hailed Liverpool's party atmosphere ahead of his WBC Cruiserweight title fight against Ilunga Makabu and the local lad has vowed to put on a winning performance next weekend.
The 33-year-old, who is a passionate supporter of Everton football club, will fight Ilunga Makabu at their stadium Goodison Park, the prospect of which he is relishing.
Bellew told the Liverpool Echo: 'I don't know what it is but you'd think it was Christmas or something. I can't explain it; I've been part of this mad city my whole life, I'm a Scouser, I'm a mad Evertonian and on a Bank Holiday weekend, there's no better time for this to happen.'
Liverpool-born fighter Tony Bellew is relishing the chance to face Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park
Bellew has spoken confidently ahead of his WBC Cruiserweight title fight on Merseyside next weekend
The 33-year-old has promised to beat the Democratic Republic Of The Congo fighter at Goodison Park
The bout represents Liverpool's first stadium fight in 67 years Bellew expects that it will more than live up to the hype.
Not since Liverpool's Stan Rowan upset Jackie Paterson at Anfield for the British bantamweight title in 1949 has Merseyside seen a boxing match of this scale outdoors.
Bellew added: 'On May 29, I'm going to become WBC world cruiserweight champion; I don't care how good he is, who he is, where he's come from or what he's going to do, I'm going to win that title in front of however many thousands of Scousers going nuts.'
Bellew and Makabu are competing for the belt vacated by the injured Grigory Drozd. The hard-hitting Makabu, whose professional record stands at 19 victories and just one defeat has not lost since his debut in 2008.
Should Bellew go the full 12 rounds against the Democratic Republic Of The Congo fighter, he will become only the second person to do so.
Bellew, whose professional record stands at 26 wins from 29 bouts, is hoping for a win in his hometown
Bellew and Makabu posed for photos as they were given a tour of Goodison Park on Tuesday afternoon