Jordan Gill: Zelfa Barrett rival ‘not scared’ after Manchester heckles

Jordan Gill says he is “not scared of anything” after being relentlessly heckled during the weigh-in for his headline bout with Zelfa Barrett on Saturday night.

WBA international super-featherweight title holder Gill takes on Manchester native Barrett at the AO Arena, and the local hero had vocal support during Friday’s weigh-in.

A group of Barrett supporters, armed with a loudspeaker, offered vocal support to their man while accusing Gill of “looking scared”.

Gill responded to the heckles in his post weigh-in interview, after both fighters made weight for the headline bout.

“I’m in a fantastic place, I feel great,” Gill said. “Despite his cheerleaders, I’m not scared of anything.”

Responding directly to Barrett’s supporters, the 29-year-old from Cambridgeshire added: “I’ll get you too, any time.”

Gill is used to winning against hometown heroes and hostile crowds. In his last fight, he won the vacant WBA belt by beating Northern Ireland’s Michael Conlan by technical knock-out at Belfast Arena.

Barrett, meanwhile, says he will not let down supporters in his home arena on Saturday night, where he is headlining for the first time.

“I’m ready. It’s been a long time coming,” the 30-year-old said.

“Size, speed, everything, I’m better than him. If he thinks he’ll knock me out, he’s deluded.”

While the words were sharp, the face-off was respectful and passed without incident.

There is nothing to separate the men in weight, with both coming in at 9st 3½lb.