BIG FIGHT PREVIEW: Conway confident as he takes on unbeaten Williams in Las Vegas

Northampton boxer Kieron Conway believes he is taking the next step to becoming a world champion when he steps into the ring with unbeaten Austin Williams in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

A huge crowd will be in attendance at the 20,000-seater T-Mobile Arena, with Conway's fight on the undercard of the gigantic world super-middlewight unification bout between Saul Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.

The Team Shoe-Box is fighting the man nicknamed 'Ammo' for the vacant WBA International Middleweight title, and as well as having his eyes on that particular belt - Conway also has ambitions of going even better.

"This fight is 100 per cent my breaking point to get away from the domestic scene, and put my name firmly in the world stage," said Conway, talking to Matchroom's YouTube channel.

"Winning this title might put me top six, top five or top four in the world with the WBA, and that is a big thing.

"I am just on the edge there waiting for my world title opportunity, and when it comes I am going to take it."

Conway travelled to the USA last weekend and is confident he will his 19th professional win in his 22nd fight, having also lost a couple and drawn one.

Southpaw Williams, who hails from Milwaukee in Wisconsin, goes into the fight having won all 11 of his pro encounters, with nine of those finishing inside the distance.

His most recent fight, against Chordale Booker at New York's Madison Square Garden in April, was all over in just 145 seconds…

"I expect Williams to come out fast, put the pressure on early, and try hit me hard early on," admitted former Kings Heath amateur Conway.

"He might even try to take me out early on, but that is going to play into my hands.

"If he starts falling in then he is going to come straight on to my punches and I am going to be gone before he opens his eyes again.

"This is the biggest fight of my career, just because of the stage, the amount of people that are going to be watching, the whole event.

"It is an historic event, it's the trilogy between Canelo and GGG, it is massive, and it is a bit of a box ticker for me as well.

"I have always wanted to box in Las Vegas, on the biggest stages, and I think I am going to stop Ammo Williams, 100 per cent.

"He is going to walk on to my punches and I am not going to be there for him to hit me back.

"A win in this fight pushes me right up in the world rankings, into the top five in the world, and like I said before I am going to be sitting there and waiting for my call up for a world title fight.

"I am here to change my life."

Conway is full aware of the threat Williams possesses, and has full respect for his opponent.

Both men are aged 26, but Conway believes he has far more experience and boxing know-how than Williams.

"Austin's strengths... of course he is explosive, he is very athletic, but at the end of the day this is a boxing match, and his weakness is that I am a better boxer than him," said Conway, who was an inside the distance winner over Gregory Trenel at Sheffield in August.

"However I want this fight to go, it is going to go. If I decide that I am going to make sure I make him miss and I hit him, that is how it is going to go.

"I don't think he is looking at this fight the right way, and I think he is going to overlook me.

"He is just going to look at my record, see that I have only gotfour knockouts and think 'this is going to be an easy fight'.

"Well on the night I think he is going to find out that it is something different."

Conway is also relishing the chance to fight in Vegas, and in front of a big crowd.

"These big fights, these big stages, there is going to be a lot of eyes on him and if you are not strong mentally, if you are not tough, then it is going to get to you," he said.

"That sort of thing doesn't affect me at all, I absorb it, and it's the more eyes the better for me.

"Especially when you have got a better boxer in there, that knows his way around the ring, has had 20 pro fights. I have been in the tough trenches in the pros."

This is Conway's second trip to the USA, following on from his trip to Texas last year to take on Souleymane Cissokho for the WBA Inter-Continental Super Welterweight title.

That was a trip that didn't quite go to plan, and not just in the ring where the Northampton lost a split decision points verdict.

"When I went to Texas, I was out there for three days, including the fight, and I left on the Sunday morning," said Conway, who has been in Vegas since last weekend.

"I didn't get to see much of Texas, America or anything, just the hotel.

"I was jetlagged quite a bit, and I was splashing cold water on my face before I got in the ring, trying to wake up, so it was not ideal getting out there so late.

"It's better this time."

Conway's clash with Williams will be streamed across the world on DAZN, with fight night coverage in the UK starting at 9.45pm.