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James Gallagher may only be 20 years old, but he's already mature way beyond his age.



Next Friday, Gallagher will fulfill yet another landmark moment in his young career when he fights in the co-main event slot of Bellator 169 taking place in the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.



Stealing the show at Bellator 169

Having been in both the main event and co-main event slots for local shows when he first started his professional career, Gallagher has seen his star rise faster than most would ever have expected--except him of course.



While mature, Gallagher is a confident young man with the world at his feet. Next Saturday he believes he's destined to put on a show in front of his Irish people on his show that he is already calling his own.



"I'm going to steal the show--it's my show," Gallagher said. "Let's make no mistake about it, they pulled me off one card to be the co-main event. I've only just turned 20 with four professional fights. It's my show here and I'm going to steal the crowd. It's my home.



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"This feels right--it makes me feel comfortable. This is where I belong and what I've always wanted. This is my show and it's what belongs to me. It feels right and I love this feeling."



Taylor hasn't impressed him with his talk

His opponent at Bellator 169 will be the American Anthony 'Pretty boy' Taylor. Like Gallagher, Taylor (1-1) has had very few professional fights, but he carries the confidence of a man with many more.



The two have already had a lot of back and forth exchanges in the media, but Gallagher has not been impressed so far by what the American has had to say for himself.



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"It's weird because before I've had guys speak and say stuff to me and say that they are going to do this and that to me and it's been real," Gallagher said. "This guy though, he's up for it, but when he says this it's fake, it's not real.



"I can just tell with the way he's speaking and the use of his vocabulary. He's not real, he's putting on an act and it's the cringiest f***ing thing I've ever seen in my life. He keeps coming out with all these quotes from movies and s*** and I'm just sitting there looking at him thinking like, is this guy for real? What's the story?"



Finishing the job early

While he may not believe Taylor is being real, Gallagher says he will be all business on fight night and that he's going to put the American out of his misery early.



"I'm going out there and I'm going to put on a display," Gallagher said. "I'm going to put him away in the first round and just do me. I don't care what he does, it's irrelevant and he's irrelevant. I'm jut focused on me not on him--I'm just focused on winning."



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When asked what type of reception he thought Taylor would get in Dublin, Gallagher maintained that the Irish would be respectful, but maybe not for the reasons the American would hope for.



"I think he will probably get a few claps," Gallagher said with a smile. "Anyone deserves a few claps for going in there and getting their head caved in."



His path to greatness

A win over Taylor will take Gallagher's undefeated record to five before the turn of the year. While not getting ahead of himself, the Irishman believes that 2017 will be a massive year for him.



"I want more fights and more wins, that's all I'm focused on now," Gallagher said. "I want to fight maybe four or five times next year comfortably. I'm still young you know and that's something I've kinda realized. When you sit back, I'm now going to go win this won and enjoy it. Then I'm going to go back to the gym, cruise, and then go win another one and just keep racking them up. I've got loads of time on my side.



"I'm still just twenty years old so I've got all the time in the world here. I'm just going to take my time and improve, get better and prove I'm the best in the world."