Gavin McDonnell feels he has operated at a much higher level than Andoni Gago ahead of their European featherweight title showdown on Friday.

McDonnell (22-2-2, 6 KOs) challenges Gago (24-3-3, 7 KOs) for his belt on a Matchroom Boxing event in Barcelona this week, live on DAZN.

The two men went head to head at their final press conference on Wednesday, and McDonnell feels his previous tenure as British and European super-bantamweight champion, along with challenging for the WBC and WBA world titles, gives him the edge.

McDonnell said: “I’m more than ready for Gago come fight night. He’s European champion and I’ve got to respect that, but the level I’ve been at is a lot higher than the level he’s fought at.

“I’ve mixed with the better fights, and it will show on fight night. I believe I will stop him, and we will see how good I am compared to him.

“I know how well I’ve prepared and I’ve got some good sparring, so I’m in the very best shape. There might not be a crowd on Friday, but we’re fighting men, and it will just be me and him in the ring so that’s all that matters.”