Jordan Gill has vowed to seize his opportunity when he finally faces Karim Guerfi for the European featherweight title on February 27.
Matchroom confirmed on Monday that Gill will face European champion, Guerfi in a rescheduled showdown on the undercard of Lawrence Okolie’s second WBO cruiserweight title defence against Michal Cieslak at the O2 Arena.
The pair were set to meet in Liverpool on December 11, only for the Frenchman to pull out on fight week through illness.
Gill was instead held to a technical draw by late-replacement Alan Isaias Luques Castillo after an accidental clash of heads halted their contest following three completed rounds, but ‘The Thrill’ says he will dethrone the 34-year-old.
“I think it’s going to be a really good year for us,” Gill told proboxing-fans.com.
“I’m fighting for the European title, it’s a big fight and my sole focus is to capture that title and I’m going to grab it with both hands.
Very good fighter. He’s a four or five-time European champion and they don’t give these belts away do they.
“So, he’s a very accomplished fighter, he’s a very good boxer and I’m expecting the best of him on the night.
“So, I’ve got to apply myself and make sure I win that fight.”
The Chatteris man had been on a run of three successive victories prior to his bout with Castillo and claimed the WBA international featherweight title last February with an impressive points win over Cesar Juarez.
The 27-year-old, who has a sole defeat on his slate to Mario Enrique Tinoco in 2019, is highly-ranked in the IBF, behind world champion, Kiko Martinez, who defends his strap against Josh Warrington on March 26 and the WBA, where Leigh Wood and Leo Santa Cruz are the current belt holders.
‘The Thrill’ is a long-time friend of Wood, who makes a maiden defence of his title against Michael Conlan in Nottingham on March 12 and has ruled out a future clash with him.
Asked if he’d fight Wood, Gill replied: “No, we’ve both said we’re not going to fight [each other].
“Obviously, there’s plenty of opportunities for both of us, there’s different routes.
“I’m fighting for the European title, I’ve got my own fight to focus on, he’s got to focus on Conlan.
“I’ll probably defend my European title and then we’ll see by the end of the year what happens.
“But, it’s a good division, it’s a hot division. We could be like the Klitschkos and dominate.”
Watch the full interview with Jordan Gill below:
