By Mel Ohlhoft

Junior welterweight Paul McCloskey (22-1, 12KOs) is counting down the days for his WBA title eliminator against Colombia's Breidis Prescott (24-2, 19KOs); taking place on September 10 bout at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. It marks the first ring appearance for McCloskey since April's technical decision loss to WBA/IBF champion Amir Khan, who Prescott knocked out in 54-seconds in 2008.

“The last four or five weeks have been pretty intense but my training is coming along nicely,” said McCloskey to Bourne Local. “You have your good days and bad days but everything’s going well. I am really looking forward to the fight and hopefully I win.”

McCloskey's dream is to gain another shot at Khan. If he manages to defeat Prescott, he feels confident that Khan will consider the possibility of a rematch. In order to win, McCloskey will have to do what he does best - box - and stay away from the power punches of Prescott.

“He’s a dangerous hitter,” said McCloskey. “He’s the only fighter ever to knock Amir Khan out so I will have to be wary. Boxing is what I do best so if I can do that against Breidis then I am sure that I will be able to win.”

“I’ve brawled as opposed to boxed in a few of my previous fights. I did it against Lauri [Giuseppe] in the King’s Hall last year and although I won the fight I didn’t make it easy for myself. I can’t make the same mistake against Prescott - I know what I am good at and that’s boxing so, like I said, if I stick to my plan then I am sure that I can win.”