“Struggle. Ache. Victory.”
That is what European champion Franck Petitjean is promising to ship when he fights Adam Azim on Saturday evening.
Petitjean places his belt on the road when he containers Azim at The Halls in Wolverhampton, dwell on Sky Sports activities from 7pm.
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Adam Azim confronted off with European champion Franck Petitjean forward of their conflict in Wolverhampton and claimed that he made the championship weight simply.
His warning for the rising star was clear. Azim’s time could come, however the Frenchman was adamant it will not be now.
“He is the brand new prospect. There’s lots of people on the market who need him to be like Amir Khan,” Petitjean instructed Sky Sports activities.
“I hope he may have a very good profession. However he is by no means met somebody like me. I’ve had lots of fights overseas, Turkey, Senegal, Holland, Poland, Denmark and I really like warfare. It does not matter to me.
“I am the champion,” Petitjean continued. “He has to come back, he has to indicate that he has sufficient to be a European champion.
“I feel the second a part of the battle goes to very tough for him. It is going to be my battle.”
He has each intention of dragging Azim right into a battle and grinding him down. Petitjean does not really feel like a person risking his championship. As a substitute he seems like a fighter with one other victory to realize.
“I feel he’ll have massive strain,” he stated of Azim.
“I’ve nothing to lose,” he continued, earlier than including darkly: “I really like this recreation.”
Petitjean, although the reigning champion, has skilled defeat earlier than. That is one thing Azim, who’s solely had 9 professional fights earlier than this, merely can’t ponder.
“He will know the pace and the facility, he is not going to come back ahead to me,” Azim instructed Sky Sports activities. “He is aware of what it feels wish to lose as properly. He will have that mindset the place he does not need to lose once more. Saturday evening I’ll make him lose once more.”
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Melissa Reddy talks to highschool mates Adam Azim and Chelsea’s Armando Broja forward of Azim’s European Tremendous-Light-weight title bout with Franck Petitjean.
If Azim is victorious on this, solely his tenth skilled contest, he’ll develop into the quickest Briton to win the European championship, beating Spencer Oliver’s document.
But though he is had so few bouts, he believes he is already overwhelmed a better normal of opposition than Petitjean has within the latter’s lengthy profession.
“Each boxer’s going to speak. They need to massive up the battle, it is half and parcel anyway. He is previous. He is been round, within the recreation fairly a very long time. However I do not suppose he is fought the fights that I’ve already fought. He hasn’t fought the calibre of opponents that I’ve,” Azim stated.
“He had a very good win in his final battle [when Petitjean upset Samuel Molina to win the title]. However he’ll really feel the facility, the pace, every thing.
“I feel my normal of opposition has all the time been good. I really feel just like the calibre of opponents that he is fought isn’t that nice.”
Azim has gained expertise with strong victories over Santos Reyes and Aram Faniian this yr.
His promoter Ben Shalom is satisfied these 10-round wins are precisely what Azim wanted. He instructed Sky Sports activities: “I feel due to these two fights we will see a profession greatest efficiency on Saturday evening. I feel he’ll set the world alight.
“I feel that is the second that he deserves. Lots of fighters wished to battle for this European belt. He obtained there first, he deserved to get there first. He is doing issues that nobody else is doing at 21 years previous.
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Adam Azim speaks about his upcoming bout with reigning European super-lightweight champion Franck Petitjean and says he is even been utilizing an previous Nokia cell phone to keep away from distractions!
“The place’s the subsequent British celebrity? For me Adam Azim is correct on the prime of that listing and he’ll be trying to show that on Saturday evening.”
Azim believes he can deal with any method Petitjean takes within the battle.
“If he comes ahead it is a massive mistake. Initially if he comes ahead it is a really massive mistake. If he walks into one he is undoubtedly going to really feel it,” the Slough fighter stated.
“I do not see what tactic he is obtained to beat me. The one tactic he is obtained might be to get into my mindset however my mindset’s actually targeted.
“If in case you have an excellent mindset the battle will likely be good,” he continued. “I am very targeted, very, very targeted.
“I need to present an excellent masterclass on Saturday evening, it is going to be Arturo Gatti versus Mayweather. It is going to be like that.”
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Adam Azim says he could make weight simply forward of his EBU European super-lightweight title battle in opposition to Franck Petitjean.
‘Poulsen will not overlook what I do to Petitjean’
If Azim is victorious, he may look to make a defence of the European title. The necessary challenger could be Enock Poulsen.
Denmark’s Poulsen beat Petitjean over 12 rounds final yr and he will likely be ringside in Wolverhampton to look at this championship battle unfold.
“He isn’t going to overlook what I do to Petitjean,” Azim stated. “He took Franck Petitjean the total rounds so hopefully I will be the one to knock him out.”
Azim’s coach Shane McGuigan identified: “It is a massive assertion from us, pushing him this far so rapidly.
“[Petitjean] is a southpaw, he throws good mixtures and he is very powerful,” McGuigan continued. “It is precisely the battle that we would wish. It is an excellent factor to have the ability to have a European title on the tip of it.
“He is obtained a means of getting by fights, Petitjean. I do know that Adam’s going to harm him. It is whether or not he’ll end him or not. He has all of the components to have the ability to end him.”
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Dan Azeez and Natasha Jonas reward Adam Azim’s earlier performances forward of his battle in opposition to Franck Petitjean.
McGuigan does anticipate there “to be a component of threat” although.
“You have to put your self within the firing line,” McGuigan stated. “To ship your photographs and look spectacular and knock folks out, you need to stand there. He is obtained loads of that. He is obtained loads of coronary heart.
“He will must that at some stage. He may not be capable of outspeed all people.
“Finish of 2024, early 2025 we’re preventing for a [world] belt. That is the plan. We simply must go on the market and execute it.”
Watch Franck Petitjean vs Adam Azim dwell on Sky Sports activities Essential Occasion from 7pm