Just about the only certainty surrounding Friday evening's British welterweight title bout at the Kelvin Hall is that a boxer called Kevin will have the Lonsdale Belt fastened around his waist.

Judging by the optimistic noises being made by the rival camps yesterday, champion Kevin McIntyre and challenger Kevin Anderson appear to lack nothing in terms of confidence and self-belief.

Anderson, 24, from Buckhaven, vowed to make up for the worst performance of his career by reclaiming the crown from his Paisley rival, while McIntyre insisted that his stunning success against his former sparring partner four months ago at Irvine's Magnum Centre was not a flash-in-the-pan.

Anderson, speaking from his Manchester training base, said: "I am in the best shape of my career and I will need to be because things have become really serious.

"The hunger that has been missing for a while is back and I have been very focused right through training for the past six weeks. My preparation, diet and sparring has been spot on and everything is coming together at just the right time.

"I have recovered fully from losing to Kevin, who boxed well, and I am determined to take back the title. My head feels different. The last time we fought, people didn't see the real Kevin Anderson and I will never be that bad again.

"This a hugely important fight for me, much bigger than the one against Eamonn Magee, when I bounced back after losing the Commonwealth title to Ali Nuumbembe, and I refuse to entertain the idea of losing.

"I have been kicking my own backside twice a day at training and being surrounded by quality fighters has brought the best out of me in sparring."

McIntyre, 29, responded by warning Anderson that he will need to raise his game several levels if he is to get the better of him, adding: "I feel like a real professional for the first time in my career now that I am being sponsored by the Communications Workers Union and free from any distractions.

"Being able to forget about work has allowed me to put more into my training sessions and I feel the benefit of having had more rest because my energy levels are sky-high. This is the best I have ever felt and that's just as well because it will be a tough fight and I have trained accordingly, knowing that Kevin will come back far tougher and stronger.

"But my last performance was the best of my career and although some people put my success down to a one-off performance, anybody who saw me win the Celtic title in Cardiff will know that was not the case. I boxed out of my skin that night as well."

Anderson's manager, Tommy Gilmour, who is co-promoting the bill in conjunction with Barry Hearn of Matchroom, revealed that the show is close to being a 2000-capacity sellout, with only a limited number of tickets still available for what he says will be the most intriguing British title fight to be staged in Scotland for years.