By Yuri Tarantin

On December 2 in Moscow, an IBF mandatory final eliminator will take place between 31-year-old Russian contender Denis Shafikov (37-2, 20KO) and 29-year-old Richard Commey (24-1, 22KO) from Ghana.

According to Shafikov, the training has been more intensive than ever before and he's upped the tempo of his camp by leaps and bounds. The winner will get a shot at the newly crowned champion Robert Easter.

"For the upcoming fight with Richard Commey [the training camp] plays a very big part. I want to go back to the position I once had at the top [of the rankings] and fight again for a world title. This time I'm determined to win, more so than ever before, and I will try to do everything in my power to defeat the Ghanaian boxer," Shafikov said.

For Shafikov this could be his last opportunity to get a world title shot. He failed in his two previous attempts with Miguel Vazquez and Rances Barthelemy.

"I do not care about his knockout percentage. I have, after all, already had 40 fights in the professional ring, and I'm not afraid of anyone. The Ghanaian is very hardy and a functionally trained athlete, but I'm not a gift," shared Shafikov.

Shafikov not fought in Russia in more than three years and the upcoming fight is waiting for him with a special look. Shafikov is sure to enlist the support of an impressive crowd, including a large army of friends.

"Friends will be there, but my wife, children and mother - I do not want them at this fight. It will be too much, they worry when I go into the ring. When the result of the fight is already known, then please - they can watch the record version of the broadcast,"said Shafikov.