This is my moment — Richard Commey

Ghana's International Boxing Federation (IBF) lightweight title contender, Richard Oblitey Commey, has described Saturday's world title bout with Isa Chaniev as a time to finally realise his ambition of becoming a world champion.

Commey (27-2, 24 KOs) says he is determined to become Ghana's ninth world champion by taking control of the fight and beating his Russian opponent convincingly in order to avoid the slip that cost him the title almost three years ago in the USA.

The 31-year-old Commey will mount the ring at the Ford Centre in Frisco, Texas in a bid to win the vacant title on his second attempt at the belt after losing out to Robert Easter Jr in 2016.

In an interview with the Graphic Sports from his US base where he has been fine-tuning his preparations for the fight, Commey said he was confident he would achieve an emphatic victory against Chaniev following an intensive training regimen he had undergone in recent months under the guidance of his American trainer, Andre Rozier.

Three years after losing to Easter Jr, Commey has the finest chance of his career to realise his dream and says his being with Rozier has brought so much improvement to his preparation that he is in a better shape today than he was when he had his first crack at the world title against Easter Jnr on September 9, 2016 at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

"This is my moment, this is my time to achieve my aim of becoming a world champion and I can't miss it.

"I've had the best of preparations in the previous months and I'm ready to show my class against Chaniev," he told the Graphic Sports last Saturday.

After dumping longtime trainer Carl Lokko for the experienced Rozier, Commey has gone undefeated with a sixth-round stoppage victory against Alejandro Luna in March last year in San Antonio, Texas, to earn a mandatory challenge to the IBF crown.

He later destroyed Yardley Cruz in two rounds during his last outing in the ring five months ago and the fight with Chaniev (13-1, 6 KOs) is his best moment to live his dreams as a world champion and be regarded as one of the best boxers in the history of Ghana boxing.

When asked about his chances against the Russian, Commey said he was sure of clinching the title but was in no mood to allow complacency to set into his final preparation and fight plan.

"I'm not here to underestimate anyone but I believe I will come out victorious on the night," he noted.