SERGIO Perales will be happy to start as the underdog when he takes on Darlington's Stuart Hall for the IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight crown on Saturday.

Perales, who is ranked number five in the world, will make his European debut when he appears on the undercard of Jamie McDonnell's world title fight with Julio Ceja at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium.

Hall is hoping the bout will enable him to take on McDonnell in an all-British world title fight in the future, and the County Durham fighter will have plenty of supporters making the short trip to South Yorkshire.

But while Perales will not be taking anything for granted having watched a number of Hall's previous contests, the American is confident of upsetting the home crowd.

"I've been able to watch a few videos of him on the internet and I think he is a good strong fighter with a good right cross," said Perales. "He's an all-round tough guy so I'm sure he's not going to just give me the title. I'm going to have to take it from him and it's going to make for a great fight.

"I'm not going to be favourite, but I'm expecting that and I'm not going to let that bother me. It's a fight between Stuart Hall and me, and that's what my focus is on."

Perales, who is nicknamed 'Time To Shine', will travel to England with an impressive record of 22 victories from 23 contests, 14 of which have come via knock-out.

The 25-year-old Texan is renowned as a heavy hitter and will be looking to secure another early finish when he lines up against Hall.

"Confidence isn't going to be a problem," he said. "With great training I know what I'm capable of, but it's tough to make a prediction.

"I'm going to win rounds, but if I see a chance for a knockout, I'm going to take it. Getting a knockout is the best feeling there is in a fight, so of course I'm going to try to get him out."

The lure of an Inter-Continental belt will be a huge incentive to both fighters, with Perales determined to move into the top three of the IBF rankings by claiming his first international title.

"It really means a lot to me," said Perales. "I'm in the sport to be the best and I'm going to keep climbing until I reach the top. This is a huge leap forward in that direction so I am going to give it my all to come out as champion."