Unbeaten contender Arnold Barboza admits he has stayed ready, waiting in the wings if Ryan Garcia did not make it into the ring against Devin Haney.

Barboza was announced as the main event substitute when Haney-Garcia first came to fruition, and it looked at several points over the past few weeks that his services might be called upon.

However, Barboza appears set to maintain his spot on the undercard in the co-main, against Ireland’s Sean McComb (18-1, 5 KOs). 

Asked whether he had messaged the show’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, to say he was still prepared to step in if required, Barboza said: “He knows I’m ready, but Sean McComb is who it is right now. But we’re ready. Let’s go.”

McComb, a southpaw, took an early fight in the U.S., winning a bout in the Boston Garden in 2018, and his lone loss came to Welshman Gavin Gwynne. But Barboza is hoping a win over the visiting Irishman at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center will cement a big fight next time out.

“This is a big opportunity in itself, the card, the magnitude of it,” said Barboza. “I’m grateful to be here. Of course, making a statement leads to bigger things.”

Barboza (29-0, 11 KOs), a 32-year-old Californian, is a significant favorite.

McComb, however, insists he is focused on the fight and not what might happen next. 

“I’ve enjoyed it,” McComb said of being part of a big show in New York. “I’m here to put on a show. It’s strictly business. I haven’t been sidetracked here by all the cameras and all the big personalities. I’m here to do me.”

Asked about his strategy on the night, the Peter Taylor-trained McComb replied: “Stick to the game plan, which we’ve worked on for numerous weeks now, and everything will go in my favor.”