Former Olympic champion Luke Campbell says his fight with Vasyl Lomachenko will be “one of those moments where you make it or you break it”.

Campbell will fight the Ukrainian for his WBA and WBO lightweight titles and the vacant WBC belt at the O2 Arena in London on 31 August.

Lomachenko says fellow 31-year-old Campbell might be one of the toughest opponents he has faced.

“He has a big reach and he has a high boxing IQ,” said Lomachenko.

“Maybe for me it will be a big challenge.”

Lomachenko won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 and is the fastest fighter in history to have held world titles at three weights, winning featherweight, super-featherweight and lightweight belts in just 12 bouts.

His only defeat in 14 fights came in 2014. Campbell, the 2012 bantamweight gold medallist, has a record of 20 wins from 22 bouts. The Hull man is number-one ranked with the WBC.

His one world title fight to date ended in a split-decision points defeat by Venezuela’s Jorge Linares for the WBA belt in 2017.

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” Campbell said. “We’re the best two in the division and you’re going to see one hell of a fight.

“I want to compete at the highest level and this is one of those moments where you make it or you break it, but I believe in myself. Every champion was once a challenger.”

Former WBA world super-middleweight champion George Groves was standing in for Campbell’s trainer, Shane McGuigan, at a news conference to launch the fight and said the bout was the ideal stage for Campbell to emerge as a global star.

“We know he has got it all to do and is going to be a big underdog but Luke Campbell is going to go in there and do the job,” he said.

“I believe he is one of the best fighters we have ever produced.

“He’s got that champion material. His Olympic gold medal was a little bit overshadowed by Nicola Adams and Anthony Joshua [also winning London 2012 gold].

“Luke has had to face that frustration that I’ve had to face where you feel that you have to work that little bit harder. But, for him, that’s all going to be that much sweeter.”

Article courtesy of BBC Sport

Photo courtesy of Dave Thompson