Boxing: Bernard Dunne believes he can take another step towards a world title shot at The Point tomorrow night.
The European super-bantamweight champion makes the first defence of his belt against Kazakhstan's Yersin Jailauov before another large crowd on home turf.
Unbeaten Dunne has become a major star over the past three years, having made his name as a top prospect in the States under top coach Freddie Roach.
Dunne is already highly ranked by all the major world governing bodies but accepts that he must bide his time before challenging the likes of IBF champion Steve Molitor, who has been mentioned as a possible opponent.
"I feel that I'm ready to fight for a world title right now," said Dunne, who won the vacant European title with a dominant 12-round victory over Esham Pickering last November. "I know that I have the class to mix it with the very best and I showed that in the win against Pickering.
"Molitor is the obvious fight. He did a job on Michael Hunter but I would fancy that job. We boxed as amateurs in Dublin and I beat him. But at the moment I'm focused on keeping my European belt and the plan is for a few more defences this year."
Dunne has built up a huge following, leading manager Brian Peters to say that "only Ricky Hatton is a bigger draw in these islands". The Dubliner says that such support just inspires him even more as he seeks to reach the very top.
"With the crowds that we are now getting and the backing of television it means that I can have home advantage and the crowd is just amazing," said Dunne. "I don't care who you are, when you come into the arena and you hear 7,000 Irishmen cheering for me you know you're in trouble.
"I'm looking forward to putting on another good show for the fans but I won't be taking this guy (Jailauov) lightly because he's a tough guy and in Europe's top 10."
Dunne's skill and quick hands should eventually catch up with the challenger in the later rounds.