Kevin Mitchell (left) in action against John Murray last July

Ever-confident Kevin Mitchell gets the chance to make good his boast that “I will go to Scotland and beat Ricky Burns before his own fans” when he heads north for the WBO lightweight title clash in Glasgow on September 22.

Mitchell, who trains at Canning Town’s TKO Gym, inists he has no worries that the fight will now take place in champion Burns’ backyard in Glasgow. “I’m going into the lion’s den and I know I can beat him and take the world title,” he said. The rivals greeted each other like old pals when they came face to face at a press conference at the RAF museum at Hendon on Monday and Mitchell insisted: “Burns is a good kid and I’ve got to be at the top of my game, the fittest and strongest I’ve ever been in my life to win.”

Mitchell, who has lost just once in 34 pro fights, has been training hard for two months already and aims to follow up his magnificent win over John Murray last July –voted the ‘Fight of the Year’.

He told his fans who will be heading north for the ‘Battle of Britain’ world-title fight: “I’m promising you, you are going to see the best fight of the year, or any year. I rate Burns very highly.

“He’s a great fighter and has proved himself as one of the top champions in the world.”

The fight is scheduled for a Glasgow venue to be confirmed and will be screened live on the BoxNation TV channel.

■ Meanwhile, the Upton Park show featuring the highly anticipated all-British heavyweight showdown between David Haye and Dereck Chisora goes on under the Luxembourg Federation banner on July 14.

Promoter Frank Warren is confident that it will break box office records, predicting a 40,000 sell-out on the night as well as the live screening on his BoxNation TV channel.