Charles Oliveira names his toughest ever boxing opponent
Ahead of his showdown with Topuria, Charles Oliviera has named the toughest ever fighter he has come up against.
“It’s a great fight, he’s a great fighter, but I don’t need to prove anything to anyone about who I am, what I’ve done, [and] what I’ve done in the fight business. This fight came at a huge opportunity. I will knock out this guy. That’s for real.”
Those were the words of Charles Oliveira ahead of his hotly anticipated clash with Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 on June 28. The fight came about following Islam Makhachev’s decision to relinquish the belt in pursuit of the welterweight championship; likewise, Topuria gave up his featherweight title in February to move up and compete for lightweight gold.
The Brazilian fighter is a confident man on a bad day; on a good one he’s simply self-possessed when it comes to his own ability: a key ingredient to become the best.
Going up against Ilia Topuria, Oliveira will need to know how to box. Hand-to-hand combat seems to now be the preferred fighting method of the Georgian-Spaniard, moving away from his Greco-Roman wrestling style. However, despite the switch, Oliveira believes he is well prepared, having come up against some handy fighters in his time. One name in particular stands out.
Dustin Poirier, according to Oliveira, has got the ‘sharpest’ boxing he’s ever faced.
In an interview with Full Violence, the Brazilian revealed that “for me, of all of the guys I’ve fought, he’s the one with the sharpest boxing. He fights more consciously, he has a very heavy hand”, concluding that “he knows how to play the game.”
“I don’t care much about what people say,” Oliveira added in his fiery comments. “I know he’s a guy who hits hard, but he’s talking about the lightweight category, the harder category. I fought against Justin Gaethje, and everyone said he was the guy who hit harder, and when I did, he went down. I believe in the power of fire in the hands that I have. So, let’s wait. On the 28th, we’ll meet.”
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