It has been a long road back to prominence in the middleweight division for Hassan N'Dam.
After losing his 160-pound title in his first career defeat against Peter Quillin in October 2012, N'Dam (30-1, 18 KOs) has slowly worked his way back into contention with a trio of low-profile victories. Nearly two years later, the native of Cameroon is closing in on another title shot.
N'Dam, who fights out of France, will face Curtis Stevens (27-4, 20 KOs) in a middleweight title eliminator on Wednesday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET). The winner will be the mandatory challenger to face the winner of the Oct. 8 bout between titlist Sam Soliman and former undisputed champion Jermain Taylor.
The 30-year-old N'Dam is determined to pick up where he left off in the loss against Quillin, where he showed tremendous heart to stay competitive despite being knocked down six times. He recently took the time away from training camp to talk with ESPN.com through translator Marco La Via:
Why is this fight so important to your career?
This fight is so important because it will allow me to get back into the top world rankings. Secondly, it will allow me to show my boxing style and to make my style famous to the world.
How would you describe your boxing style?
I'm a complete boxer and a fighter with a lot of different skills. I'm a boxer-puncher, and one of my greatest skills is that I know how to adapt to each opponent.
What lessons did you learn from your 2012 title loss to Peter Quillin?
The No. 1 lesson from that fight is to never go into a fight again without being prepared. I wasn't prepared when I fought Quillin and I wasn't prepared based upon circumstances which I have already explained: medical issues and the fact that my promoter back then told me about the fight just one month ahead of time. I only had one week of sparring. The second thing I learned about myself in the Quillin fight is that I am a world-class fighter. I will go the distance no matter what happened. I will not be knocked out. I won all of the rounds in that fight except for the rounds I got knocked down.
What aspect of your game does Stevens need to be most prepared for?
I wouldn't know what to recommend for Stevens. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't know what to do, because I'm going to dance around him all night and win the fight. I wouldn't know what he should do.
Stevens was unsuccessful in challenging for Gennady Golovkin's middleweight title last November. What were your impressions of Stevens from that fight?
Curtis Stevens proved once more that he is not in the category of the champions because he quit the fight in the eighth round. He was still standing up and wasn't knocked out. He quit the fight. He didn't have the nerve to continue the fight.
You showed tremendous resolve and courage to get off the canvas six times against Quillin. Where does that come from inside of you?
I was born with that courage. I was born in Cameroon and always had that courage. During that fight, I thought about my past and decided that I was there to box and that I wouldn't give up.
How hard has the journey been to overcome that loss and work your way back into a prime spot on American television?
I just had to put myself together and bounce back. I worked hard to get here again and I have been helped by the fact, in my mind, the loss to Peter Quillin doesn't count because I wasn't prepared. So I have just worked hard and have been able to bounce back.
Who do you believe will be victorious in the middleweight title bout between Sam Soliman and Jermain Taylor?
I don't have an opinion yet. Both fighters are very experienced and veteran fighters who have strong qualities. Both fighters are owed the opportunity that comes with whoever wins the fight. But I don't even think about this fight because my plan is to fight against the toughest and best middleweight currently, which is Golovkin. That is my long-term goal and I think I am the only one who can beat Golovkin.
Why do you believe that you are the one who will defeat Golovkin?
I have the right boxing style to put him in difficulty.
Do you believe Golovkin is as good as advertised?
He is not there for no reason. He defeated a lot of very good fighters in the middleweight division. The only ones he hasn't fought are the ones who have refused to fight him and have dodged him. He's not there for nothing. That's why I want to fight him.
What should fans expect to see in Wednesday's fight against Stevens?
I'm going to have fun during this fight. I think the fans are going to see me having fun and are going to have fun, as well. They are going to recognize my talents and the fans will know that I am in the same category as the champions.