NEWBRIDGE boxer Bradley Pryce knows he’s been tipped to lose his WBA inter-continental title fight with Russian Siarhei Rabchenka tomorrow, but he couldn’t care less.

The 30-year-old has seen his career stall dramatically in the past three years, an unsuccessful stint at welterweight leaving him close to the boxing wilderness and a perennial role on undercards.

However, Pryce, a good name on paper as a former Common-wealth champion, has been given the chance to fight for a title over 12 rounds and is certain this is the break he needs, even against the undefeated Russian (16-0).

Big punching Rabchenka has twelve stoppages to his name and Gary Lockett-trained Pryce is only too aware he’s a massive underdog, but he is certain this is his opportunity to change people’s perception of him.

“For me it’s time to put up and shut up, I’ve been shouting my mouth off about being a 12 round fighter and needing big challenges to show my quality and now I have been given exactly what I asked for,” he said.

“I think I’ve been unfortunate at times with opponents changing and pulling out, but I am really confident that this is the fight where I can turn things around.

“I won three in a row before my last fight (a narrow points loss to Colin Lymes) and I’ve known that even that wasn’t the best of me, to be at my best I need to be in 12 round fights.

“I am feeling very strong and have had no troubles making 11 stone, the first time in a very long time I haven’t had troubles making the weight.

“We gave it a go at welter but I was so weight drained I wasn’t taking any power with me.”

Pryce has a front foot, aggressive style but he’s confident he has worked out the strategy of his opponent.

“He is going to expect to bang me out of there in the first few rounds, he is used to winning fights early and with a big punch, that isn’t going to happen though,” he explained.

“In all of the fights where I’ve gone early it’s been because I’ve headed into the ring weight drained and feeling weak.

“When I am at my strongest, some bigger hitters than this guy, like Michael Jennings at his peak, haven’t been able to take me out of it. And when I don’t go, he’s got to be willing to go to the trenches and go 12 rounds.

“Does he fancy that?

“I’m going to keep coming at him and fully expect to win the fight by stoppage myself in the later rounds. I am going to turn my career around tomorrow and then it is onwards and upwards.”