Steve Spark says he is ready to pull off the "biggest upset in Australian boxing history' by beating raging favourite Tim Tszyu when the pair meet in the ring at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.
A late replacement for Michael Zerafa, who was accused of cowardice after sensationally pulling out of his much-hyped showdown with Tszyu three days ago citing Covid fears, Spark couldn't get to Newcastle fast enough when the call came.
"I didn't hesitate - we jumped straight at this fight," he said. "I'm a fighter and this is what fighters do - we fight.
"I always thought that I would end up fighting Tim. It's come quicker than expected but here we are and I'm glad we got the phone call and I'm glad we picked it up. I said 'yes' straight away but I'm not here to make up numbers.
"I'm a fighter and I'm here to win. There's all respect between me and Tim and at the end of the day, we are probably the two nicest blokes in Australian boxing.
"We conduct ourselves in a great manner but when we step up into that ring, me and Tim mean business. We are both going to go in there to hurt each other and we are both here to win.
"If I can pull off this, it will probably be the greatest upset in boxing history. That means the world to me and this is my golden ticket."
Spark said he is not worried about being call a fill-in.
"It creates a better story. I look forward to proving them all wrong," he said. "That excites me, motivates me. I know that no-one is given me a chance but I'm going to show them what I'm made of and why I'm the 'Viking'."
