Singapore: One bantamweight world champion John "Hands of Stone" Lineker has finally given his thoughts on Fabricio Andrade's claims that he deserves a shot at his title.
"Wonder Boy" Andrade took to the microphone and called Lineker out after dominating "Pretty Boy" Kwon Won-Il in Singapore earlier this month.
The "Hand of Stone" recognises that there is talent in his fellow Brazilian, but he refuses to go any further than that with his praise for the young star.
"To be very honest, I started to follow Fabricio just recently. What I saw in this fight [against Kwon] is that he knows how to focus. He managed to impose his strategy. I wasn't impressed because he got a knockout. That can happen in any fight. He's a good fighter, but he didn't impress me at all," Lineker said.
"I don't know if he did enough to earn a title shot. It's not for me to say if he deserves a title shot. I'm prepared, I'm ready to fight anyone in the division. If One thinks he deserves it, I'm here waiting."
Lineker has yet to defend his world title since snatching it off longtime divisional king Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes in March.
The Brazilian brawler brought their hotly anticipated battle to a shocking end in the second round by turning Fernandes' lights out with a devastating left hook, and fans are excited to see what he will do next.
Many believe the Wonder Boy would make for an interesting challenge for the Hands of Stone, and the 24-year-old's record in One certainly helps his case.
Andrade is now 5-0 inside the circle with four finishes. He recently took Kwon's No.2 spot in the divisional rankings after his win against the Korean.
Andrade has never been shy about making his thoughts public, and he has been calling Lineker out for some time.
But the world champion has been around long enough to recognise when an opponent is trying to create hype, and he's ready to teach the Wonder Boy a lesson if and when a fight between them comes to pass.
"I'm getting used to this type of athlete who likes to promote fights by disrespecting opponents. He doesn't have an ounce of education. He wants to promote fights in the wrong way," Lineker said.
"I like to respond inside the cage, in my own way. But if they [One] think he's worthy to fight for the belt, I'll educate him, for sure."