Floyd Mayweather insists he will lay his life on the line in order to claim victory over Oscar De La Hoya as the pair concludes the build-up to their super-fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Mayweather will claim a world title in a fifth weight category if he takes the WBC light-middleweight belt from De La Hoya and the 30-year-old has revealed how much this fight means to him.
He told reporters: ‘It's blood, sweat and tears for me.
‘I'm willing to die that night I want this fight so bad. I'm ready to take it to the next level.’
Mayweather has done more than his share of trash talking in the months leading up to the bout which has been compared to some of boxing's classic battles.
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman puts it in the same class as Joe Louis-Max Schmeling, Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier and the second bout between Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson.
Tickets for the fight have long been sold out for the 18,500-seat Grand Garden Arena and another 15,700 were purchased for the closed circuit viewing at one of the casino's nightclubs.
Organisers are calling the fight the Super Bowl and a Hollywood movie premiere wrapped into one, saying they anticipate the evening to gross more than £55.26million (US dollars 100 million).
Mayweather has been far more vocal than his opponent as the promotional trail winds up in the days before the bout: ‘I'm going to get on his nerves, make that on top of my nerves.’
Manager Leonard Ellerbee argues that Mayweather is quicker, younger and packs a more powerful punch than the 'Golden Boy'.
Ellerbee said: ’Oscar says he is in the best shape of his life.
‘Floyd's always been in that shape for every single fight in his life. We'll show him why Floyd is the best fighter in the world, and how Floyd fights at a different level.’
His uncle and trainer, Roger, said: ‘The day he first put gloves on he was the best pound-for-pound fighter.
‘My nephew is going to do what he is supposed to do. He doesn't know anything about losing.’
De La Hoya has not been as vocal but he responded to his opponent by saying: ‘I'm going to humble him and give him the lesson he deserves.’
After watching an open workout by Mayweather, however, Sulaiman concluded: ‘If there were no Floyd Mayweather, there wouldn't be any fight to talk about.
‘Floyd Mayweather is without question a man of pride. He will not let anyone damage his undefeated record.’
