HEAVYWEIGHT prospect Nathan Gorman is chasing an English title shot so he cannot afford to slip up against Igor Mihaljevic in Cardiff this weekend.

The Nantwich fighter, the great nephew of legendary bareknuckle fighter Bartley Gorman, faces the Croatian dangerman on Frank Warren’s massive bill at the Motorpoint Arena on Saturday and feels a defeat will put a major dent in his title aspirations for 2017.

Mihaljevic is in good form with two wins from his last two outings and knocked out Kent’s Tom Dallas on his most recent trip to the UK.

But Gorman insists he will be the one getting the business done inside the distance.

“I’d love to fight for the English title,” Nathan said. “It’d be a good belt to get around my waist and it’s my main aim for 2017.

“Things are moving fast for me and it’d put me in good stead for the future, but I’ve got to get rid of this guy on Saturday night first.

“I’ve had a look at a few of his videos and he’s a tough fighter who likes to have a go. In the heavyweights it only take one shot to end a fight and I know he’s got a punch on him because of what he did to Tom Dallas, so I’ll have be on my guard.

“That said, I’ll be looking for another knockout win. I got one last time I was on BoxNation [against David Howe] and I’m going to be on the telly again so I’ve got to try and repeat history.

“There’s a bit more pressure because they’ll be more people watching me so I’ve got to impress, but I’ve been on TV before and I know what to expect and I know what the fans want to see.”

Gorman, who is trained by four-time world champion Ricky Hatton, believes he’ll be sharper than ever for this outing thanks to the quality sparring he’s had in the build up.

“I’ve been sparring David Price and Matty Askin and I couldn’t ask for better sparring,” he said.

“David Price is a big man, he’s like a human wardrobe, but I learned a lot of him because he’s a good established pro and I didn’t feel out of water with him. Matty is as sharp as a razor so you have to be on your toes.

“I took a lot out of those sessions and now it’s a case of putting everything together on Saturday night.”

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