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FOR the past few months I have pounded the streets of Nottingham on foot and pounded the face's of sparring partners with fist. Hours of dedication, roadwork and bag work have sharpened all my tools ready for the arrival of the unbeaten big-mouth from America who is aiming to upset the Carl Froch party ... but he forgets that yours truly is on the doors for this occasion.
The man from Flint, Michigan who calls himself 'The Matrix' after the way he can dodge punches like they were in slow motion, is set to bomb at the box office. That's right, Andre Dirrell will be getting a serious Cobra-style beating at the weekend.
Over the last few weeks Dirrell has been training in 'Big Bear' which is a load of mountains over in California where boxers go to get into the shape of their lives. But all that will count for nothing when he steps into the Trent FM Arena to the deafening roar of the Cobra army.
I can see him now, strutting to the ring with some random tune playing in the background. In his mind he thinks he knows what to expect. But like everyone else before him, he is going to find out the hard way.
In fact all that extra fitness he has acquired running up Big Bear will only prolong his pain.
He has been calling me a 'gas bag' in the press and that he 'is going to shut up' all the Froch fans in the arena on the night. Things like that don't provoke me as I'm cold-blooded in the weeks beforehand. But they'll definitely provoke my loyal fans.
While I know that my fans will respect the American national anthem when it plays, they will show Dirrell no mercy whatsoever, because the faithful supporters from my city of Nottingham look out for their own. From the Friday 5pm weigh-in at the Old Market Square, to the moment he walks into the ring, the Cobra fans will be letting him know the score.
The WBC world title I've brought home to Nottingham has injected even more pride into this great city and Dirrell will not be leaving town with that belt. In fact, he should just be happy to be leaving Nottingham in one piece.
All my hard work is now completed. All I have to do this week is rest, recharge and relax. But Dirrell will be sleeping in an unfamiliar hotel room, in an unfamiliar environment. While I'll be comfortably getting my weight down to the 12st limit, Dirrell's mind will be racing.
I have all my friends and family plus about 8,000 loyal supporters from around the UK while Dirrell will have a small team and perhaps his brother. If he wasn't so ****y you'd almost feel for him for what he is heading into.
All the fans who are lucky enough to be coming to the arena on the night are in for a boxing treat. And those who aren't fortunate enough to make the fight live, can watch it on PrimeTime which is a new show on Sky channel 480.
This is my last column until fight night and I've just got one more thing to say. If you are reading this Andre, then my message is simple:
You think you're good.... you are good.... but you're just not good enough.
God willing, afterwards you'll fight another day. But on Sunday morning you're going to be public enemy No.1 and I'm going to give you the mother of all beatings.
Unfortunately for you I'm looking at making a massive statement in the Super Six tournament, starting with punching holes in you.
But look on the bright side.
In 30 years you can tell your grand kids how you won an Olympic bronze and how you went to Nottingham and managed to survive a couple of rounds with one of the most fearsome super-middleweights in history.
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