Adrian Granados said he had no idea who Conor Benn was until recently.
The pair will enter the ring on Saturday night in the main event at Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp, live on DAZN, and Granados told Matchroom he is not here to play second fiddle to Benn.
“I’m not anybody else you ever fought,” Granados said in a message to Benn.
“He’s making it seem like he’s going to dismantle me, he’s going to destroy me. It’s like bro, you ain’t nobody. I didn’t even know who he was until recently. I’ve got respect for the Benn name. I respect him because he’s a Benn. It’s from his dad and what his dad has done.
“I’ve asked questions of much better fighters than Conor Benn and I’m not coming to the U.K. to make up the numbers. This is a big opportunity for me against a fighter I know they’re hyping to be the next big thing. They’ve made a mistake in picking me. This is a big moment for me and I’m taking it.”
Benn’s reputation went to new heights back in April when he walked through tough Colombian Samuel Vargas in just one round. Granados wasn’t impressed by that, however.
“I know everyone was impressed with his fight with Samuel Vargas but he just kind of jumped on Sammy and Sammy wasn’t expecting all that. It was a great win for him, but I’m not Samuel Vargas.
“I’m going to have to stop him [Benn] because I’m fighting England’s new golden boy in England. I’ve got to stop him.”