Status: WBC mandatory number one contender. Challenges undisputed Middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins in Los Angeles on February 19th.

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 160

Born On: December 8, 1970 In: New Amsterdam, Guyana

Childhood Hero: Muhammad Ali.

Nicknames: The Battersea Bomber. Flap Hat - I have plenty funny hats.

Hobbies/Interests: Cricket, football, go-karting, motorcycles, basketball, a bit of tennis.

Favorite Movies: I love the Kung Fu movies, I love Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Musical Tastes: Hip-hop, Ice Cube, reggae you got Bob Marley.

Early Boxing Memory: Pete Wilson, back in London. He was a very good amateur fighter, everybody feared him. No one expected me to beat him. I knocked him out (age 17). Fourth round. Left hook. I knew I’d beat him. Just something I knew.

Pre-Fight Feeling: Relaxation. Just calmness. Think of my childhood…moments playing with my friends back home. I miss my friends back in the Caribbean. My family - think about them a lot. (Do you look at your opponent upon entering the ring?) You have to. (Send a message to him?) No message. Just focusing on the target. Because the opponent is just a target to take out. Nothing personal.

Favorite Meal: Rice and beans and jerk chicken. Caribbean thing.

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: You askin’ too many questions now [laughs]! Don’t worry, I’m gonna tell ya. Oatmeal, with banana and sugar.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Ben & Jerry’s, I love ‘em all.

Childhood Dream: Just what I’m doing right now. Focusing on my boxing career. These were my childhood dreams - to accomplish a world title. I have this dream from childhood. I came to London (from Guyana) with intentions of becoming world champion.

Greatest Sports Moment: It’s difficult to answer that. My career is not over yet. The greatest moment of my career was meeting a gentleman named Tony Mancini, my mentor. He passed away a while back. But he taught me so much about this sport. And everything he taught me has come to pass. I learned a lot from him.

Most Painful Moment: I haven’t crossed that bridge yet. I guess having to wait so long to have the opportunity to display what I can do. My former promoters seemed to be holding me down. I wasn’t getting the breaks I thought I deserved.

Worst Injury: I hurt my right hand fighting for the Southern Area title in south London. Had an operation on it. It’s all good now.

First Job: Working on a go-kart circuit. First every go-karting circuit in Great Britain. Managed groups of people that would come on the site to race against their friends. I was in charge of making sure everyone had a good time.

Funny Boxing Memory: Not really. Not in my career.

Another Early Memory: I was getting bullied all the time (age 6). For a long time. Then one day I said, No more. And I swung a wild punch and I knocked the bully out cold. And there was a big oak tree there. And I looked up the oak tree and said to myself, I want to be a fighter. Ever since then I wanted to be a fighter.

People Qualities Most Admired: I love people who are down-to-earth. That’s it, plain and simple. You have to be down-to-earth, keep it real.

On Bernard Hopkins: He’s got things he don’t want to give up. He’s gonna give it his all. I’m expecting 100% from him. That’s what I’m training for. I don’t even worry about what he’s thinking about. I’m worrying about what I’m gonna do to him…I’m gonna take him out early. There’s a lot of things about my style that people don’t know about. Whatever gears he has, I’m going to overcome him.