EX-HORSHAM boxer Mitchell Clark is gearing up for the biggest fight of his young career.
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The 20-year-old will step into the ring on Friday night at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton to fight 37 year old Philippines national Arnold Garcia.
The fight is in support of Australian Zac Dunn's WBO Oriental super middleweight title bought with Argentina's Ricardo Ramallo.
It is part of an eight-fight exhibition billed as 'History in the Making' due to the fact the Royal Exhibition Building has not hosted professional boxing for 75 years.
Several well-known sporting and media personalities will be in attendance, including Collingwood star Dane Swan, Warwick Capper, Wayne Carey and Kevin Sheedy.
Fighting on such a big stage would be enough to turn any young boxer's head, but Clark said his only focus was on making sure he beat his opponent.
"I've done a big eight weeks of preparation for this fight," Clark said.
"This is a huge step up for me in terms of any of the other fights I've done before.
"I went and had a look at the building just so I'd know what it looks like before I go in and I wouldn't be overwhelmed by fighting in such a big venue."
Clark has a perfect 3-0 record since turning professional in May, and all of his fights have ended in knockouts.
Garcia, his opponent on Friday, also has three professional bouts under his belt and sports a 2-1 record.
Clark said the buildup to this fight had been intense.
He said he had done plenty of sparring sessions and was well prepared.
Living in Horsham before moving to South Australia as a teenager, Clark said his connections with the Wimmera were still strong.
"The support I've had has been fantastic," he said.
"It's great to see such a big following coming from the Horsham area.
"People from places like Minyip, Donald and Balmoral have been getting on board and following me."
Clark said anyone interested in supporting him could still get tickets for the event, which starts at 7pm.
People wanting to book tickets can call Barry Michael on 0413 654 999.