Vasiliy Lomachenko let out a laugh as he went head to head with dangerous puncher Richard Commey at the weigh-in for a crucial lightweight clash in New York.
The Ukrainian star was in peak condition as he weighed in at 134.4lbs, while Commey was also inside the limit at 134.2lbs ahead of their fight at Madison Square Garden, live on Sky Sports from 2am on Sunday.
Lomachenko then broke the tension with a laugh during the face-off with Commey, a knockout specialist who is being treated with caution by the three-weight world king.
“He has big power and he has reach, experience, so for me it will be a very interesting fight for fans,” Lomachenko told Sky Sports.
“During the fight, you need to be always focusing on your strategy, and always focused on your speed and your reaction.”
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Top Rank promoter Bob Arum hopes victory for Lomachenko will make him a mandatory challenger for the newly crowned unified champion George Kambosos Jnr.
“Loma is No 1 with the WBC and the WBO,” Arum told Sky Sports.
“Kambosos will make a voluntary defence then could fight Lomachenko in Australia.
“I have promoted fights in Australia. It’s a great place for fights. They have great fans who would welcome Lomachenko.
“I am optimistic that, at the end of next year, we will have Loma back fighting for the titles.”
On the undercard, Jared Anderson can enhance his reputation as one of the world’s most exciting heavyweight contenders.
Anderson, who has knocked out all 10 of his opponents, takes on Ukrainian Oleksandr Teslenko.
Nico Ali Walsh also returns to action against Reyes Sanchez, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Muhammad Ali by fighting at the famed venue in NYC.
America’s Olympic silver medallist Keyshawn Davis resumes his professional career against Jose Zaragoza.
Sky Sports Boxing schedule
Sunday December 12 – Top Rank in New York
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Richard Commey
Jared Anderson vs Oleksandr Teslenko
Nico Ali Walsh
Sunday December 18 – Top Rank in Montreal
Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne – IBF and WBC light-heavyweight titles
Saturday January 29 – BOXXER in Cardiff
Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams
Claressa Shields vs Ema Kozin – IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight titles
Saturday February 19 – BOXXER in Manchester – Sky Sports Box Office
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook
Saturday February 26 – Top Rank in Glasgow
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall – undisputed super-lightweight titles