“He’s moulded me into a horrible fighter, who is a horrible night’s work for anyone,” said British and Commonwealth welterweight champion Harry Scarff.
The 30-year-old boxer has been training at coach Clifton Mitchell’s gym in Derby for 17 years.
Together, they have built a strong partnership that is knocking on the door of a major breakthrough on the global stage.
Scarff faces Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian in Hamburg on 17 May in what will be his final eliminator for a shot at the IBF world title.
“It’s a great relationship, starting with Clifton from 13, all the way until this point now,” Scarff told BBC Radio Derby.
“We understand each other, we know how each other works, it just makes it easy leading into fights like this.”
Mitchell is also responsible for coming up with the nickname “Horrible Harry”, which has stuck after a series of uncompromising, energetic performances.
“Every time I come in the gym, every time I go on the pads with him and he’s there, it’s like I want to impress him.
“It is like coming to work. But we have got that relationship as well outside of it, there is a good balance,” he added.
A tense wait in the ring was followed by the judges awarding a unanimous decision in Scarff’s favour against Ekow Essuman last November.
He is keen to capitalise on the opportunity earned by that victory, knowing that reigning IBF world champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will have to defend his title against this month’s winner.
“I am an experienced fighter who has been in with some top-level people and had some good wins, so I am ready to go,” he said.
“All the talk about what might be to come is irrelevant if we don’t win this fight.”
‘Horrible takeover in Hamburg’
Chukhadzhian, who lost to Ennis in January last year, remains the focus for now in what has been described as “the horrible takeover in Hamburg”.
“We’ve studied him – he looks like he likes to move – a sharp boxer,” said Scarff, who has been watching back his win against Essuman to see where he can improve.
“There’s more to come from me, I’m just going to impose myself, win the exchanges and not give him any room.”
Having around 50 family and friends in the crowd in Germany will spur him on in what is set to be the biggest night of his career so far.
“[There are] people coming over, spending their hard-earned money and people who have been on the journey from way back.
“I’m really looking forward to winning for the people there and winning for Derby as well.
“Whatever you do for a job, when you’ve got that family to provide for, you have got that added incentive to work hard every day.”
