Errol Spence will be walking into the lion's den on Saturday evening when he fights Kell Brook for the IBF world welterweight belt in his home city of Sheffield

However, the 27-year-old American is far from daunted by the hostility that may come his way.

ESPN reported Spence as saying: "I've got a bit of experience fighting in front of hostile crowds from the amateurs, fighting national champions in South America where they had a lot of blow horns.

"I'm not worried about that at all come fight night. I don't get caught up in it all. It's something that just comes natural, I take everything in my stride."

Spence, who boasts a record of 21 wins from 21 fights (18 by KO), is aiming for his first world title and says he has none other than Floyd Mayweather helping him become the fighter he is today.

"I trained with Mayweather early on in my career after only three fights. It was a great experience for me, just watching him hitting the bag and watching how hard he trained and worked.

"I sparred with Floyd too, I did great work, it was tit for tat. I never imagined myself sparring with Floyd Mayweather that early on in my career.

"I've also sparred with Adrien Broner and Lamont Peterson, which were great experiences.

"When I sparred with Floyd, I earned his respect. Now he will call me on Facetime, he will text me to check up on me and see how I'm doing and stuff like that."

The respect that Spence has for the legendary fighter is clearly reciprocated with Mayweather glowing in his praise.

"Errol Spence is a hell of a fighter and I lean towards him for the fight but we've never seen him in the late rounds.

"Sometimes we're put in positions, it brings the best out of us. He can take advantage of what is going to bring the best out of him."

There is a lot on the line for Spence as a victory will see him in the mix for a future fight against the likes of WBA-WBC champion Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs), super lightweight champion Terence Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs), and WBO title-holder Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs).

However, Spence is excited by the possibilities that lay ahead and the overall quality that is in the weight division.

"The weight class is stacked full of great guys, there are a lot of big fights out there for me.

"The names are there for me to fight to become the next great boxer."

Spence says that Brook has shied away from competitive fights in the division since he won the belt from Shawn Porter three years ago.

"People have wanted him to fight other champions or ex-champions or bigger names and he hasn't done that so from a fan's perspective I get why people say that he's not fought anyone or the other champions in the division."

With the Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko bout still fresh in the minds of fight fans, they will be hoping for another special occasion with so much on the line on Saturday evening.