Kevin McBride intends to shock the boxing world by beating former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Washington on Saturday night.
The 6ft 6ins McBride said: "Once I beat Tyson I'm going to shock the world - I'm going to be a contender instead of a pretender.
"My ultimate dream is to be undisputed heavyweight champion in the world and to beat Mike Tyson, the greatest heavyweight of his era.
"I'm going to take the fight to him and knock him out. When I hit Mike Tyson, he's going to think the whole of Ireland has hit him on the chin."
The 32-year-old McBride had been scheduled to fight Tyson last year before Danny Williams accepted the fight for less money.
Tyson has not fought since his shocking four-round knockout loss to Williams in Louisville, and plans to use McBride to launch yet another comeback.
But McBride insisted: "In boxing, anyone over 200 pounds can hit. I've got 27 knockouts and I don't look at myself like Danny Williams. I see myself as a bigger, stronger man than Danny Williams."
Williams, speaking before his fight in the Ricky Hatton undercard in Manchester last Saturday night, laughed off McBride's chances of emulating his famous win.
"McBride doesn't have any chance at all," said Williams. "It is a mismatch and it will be all over very quickly."
McBride's 32-4-1 record is padded with patsies and includes a shocking third-round stoppage defeat to journeyman Michael Murray in 1998. It was Murray's only win in the last 18 fights of his career.
But McBride talks confidently of emulating Williams and beating Tyson to muscle in on a major world title shot.
"Mike Tyson is a dangerous man because he hits with both hands and so do I. That's why this is going to be such an incredible fight," said McBride.
"Subconsciously I know I am going to do the job. There are two ways I am going to come out of the ring. One is with my hands raised, and the other is on a stretcher because I am a warrior."
