Tyson Fury admits his decision to take on Christian Hammer this weekend was a necessary gamble to stay in shape for a potential bout with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Fury is the mandatory challenger for unified champion Klitschko's WBO belt, with a UK-based bout already under negotiation between the rival camps.
Early hopes had been to stage the fight in April at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium but, when that plan broke down, Fury set about lining up an interim contest.
Hammer lies behind only Fury and Andy Ruiz in the WBO rankings and is likely to offer a much stiffer test than many others might have produced at the 02 Arena on Saturday.
Fury acknowledges that but, in outlining his desire to knock Klitschko off his perch, stressed the importance of remaining active at the highest level.
"It's a risky decision but I need fights to keep busy; Hammer was available and he took the fight - good man," said Fury.
"Every guy who enters the ring is a risky opponent. But I'm here to win. I've trained hard enough and if I can win, I can win, if I can't, I can't. There's nothing I can do about it now.
"There's no space for fear or lack of confidence, self-disbelief, nothing. I have to be 100% focused on my game, 100% committed and 100% that I'm going to win every fight. If I felt any sort of doubt, I wouldn't be in this position today."
It was not long before Klitschko's name passed Fury's lips, as the 26-year-old positioned himself as the man to end his reign.
Teed up with a question about who he would like to fight next, Fury said: "Wladimir. I'm mandatory for the title he holds and that's the fight I'd like next.
"He's a great champion, very experienced, good power, not to be underestimated even though he's quite old. But every good man has his day and I believe Wladimir is coming to the end of his career."
