Joel Brunker: “I hope Warrington and his team underestimate me”

 
JOEL Brunker will look to write the wrongs from his last visit to England on Sunday morning (EST) when he challenges the undefeated Josh Warrington for his Commonwealth and WBC International featherweight titles.

 
Brunker (28-1, 16 KOs) caught up with Aus-Boxing only days before his highly anticipated fight to discuss his thoughts on Warrington, making amends for the Selby defeat and more.

 
“Training camps are always very similar for me,” said Brunker in an interview with Aus-Boxing. “The only thing that has really changed is my level of intensity. I’ve been asking much more of myself to prepare for this fight.”

 
The Richmond-based Brunker, 29, spent a handful of days in Melbourne, driving down south with his head trainer John Barber to put in a heap of rounds with the talented pair Andrew and Jason Moloney.

 
“The Moloney brothers were great for sparring in the lead up to this fight as they both have fast hands and good movement in the ring with a similar fight style to Warrington.”

 
Although he is more experienced than Warrington, Brunker is going into the looming twelve-round fight as a heavy underdog. When quizzed on his thoughts of being underestimated, Brunker was hopeful it stays that way.

 
“I hope Warrington and his team underestimate me,” warned Brunker.

 
“If they think that they are getting the Joel Brunker that went down to Lee Selby, they are sadly mistaken,”

 
“I was rusty against Selby after a 14 month absence from the ring. I was a shell of the fighter I actually am,”

 
“Eddie Hearn knows the type of fighter I am and that this is a high risk/high reward fight for Warrington,”

 
“I respect the fact that despite the risk involved Eddie made this fight happen because it is what the boxing fans wanted to see.”

 
A matured Brunker looks back at his last experience against now reigning IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby and believes he will better for it, especially without the added pressure that comes with being undefeated.

 
“I think having to guard the zero next to my name was just unwanted pressure,” continued Brunker.

 
“I’m going into this fight the underdog and the pressure is all on Warrington as he is expected to beat me,”

 
“All I need to do is go in there and do my best and fight like a guy with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I also find comfort in knowing that my only loss was to the reigning IBF world champion.”

 
While the humble and modest Australian doesn’t need any further incentives to win, it appears likely that an upset will catapult him up the WBC ratings and move within reaching distance of a world title fight.

 
With that said, his lone career blemish to Lee Selby still burns deep and if the opportunity came up for a potential rematch, Brunker would jump at the opportunity.

 
“It will definitely put me back into world title contention,” concluded Brunker. “But I want to fight Selby again and I want to be actively fighting leading up to the fight,”

 
“The hardest thing about the Selby loss is knowing I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been.”

 
“If I fight Selby again, I want a much better preparation leading up to the fight, that way I can sleep easy knowing I gave him my very best regardless of the result.”

 
 
Photo: Louie Abigail/Photography by Rockfingrz