You don’t often come across fighters more confident of winning than Demond Nicholson is ahead of his Saturday night fight against fellow super middleweight Jesse Hart, in Philadelphia.

“I got this,” said the 25 year old Maryland based boxer, who fights under the DiBella Entertainment umbrella. “I’m great! Ready to perform. I know I will win because he’s not mentally ready. I will break him down and he will quit.”

Day-um . . .

That sounds like he’s really, really sure of himself. Why?

What has the 18-2-1 Nicholson seen in the 23-1 Hart to indicate he’ll fold like an accordion in their ESPN televised bout?

“He gets tired every fight,” the 6-foot-tall Nicholson told me. “Once I see his mouth open breathing heavy, I will step on the gas. He has a very weak chin. I will start at the body and the head will follow.”

Hart tasted defeat in his second to last bout against Zurdo Ramirez but rebounded with a stoppage win over Thomas Awimbono in February. He could be aided, in mind and come card-furnishing time, because he’s a Philly guy and the card, promoted by Top Rank and Russell Peltz, will unspool in Philly. Nicholson is aware of Hart’s roots.

So, does he think that the 6-foot-3 inch Hart, on paper, is a step up in skills from previous competition? “No, I wouldn’t really say a full step up of skills. To me he’s very basic. (July 2016 opponent) Immanuel Aleem is more skillful than Jesse Hart. The only difference is the height, but that won’t make no difference for me. Me and Jesse have the same arm reach. They have me listed as 73 inches, but I really have a 77 ½ inch arm reach.”

Apart from this apparent level of confidence, there will be a comfort level enjoyed in the corner for Nicholson. His trainer is Andre Henderson, who’s been with him since he was 6 years old. “He’s like an uncle to me,” the boxer reports. “Unc” knows that Demond has above average hand speed and a solid jab which can be both annoying and a solid table setter. He moves pretty well but is happy to stay at a tight-ish distance. The trainer might remind Demond to use the left hand, as a hook, more, for variety’s sake.

Intensity, insistence, severe aggression; Nicholson will do well to remind himself of those elements, and also on putting punches together in big bunches.

So, let’s keep it real. Might he need a KO to win in Philly?

“Not necessarily KO, but definitely destroy,” Nicholson acknowledged.

There ya go . . . He has that confidence on display but, also, he’s showing a comprehension of how the real world works.

Readers, do you have a prediction for the Hart vs. Nicholson bout?

Follow Woods on Twitter.

Struggling to locate a copy of THE RING Magazine? Try here or
Subscribe

You can order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues from our subscribe page.