If it lks like I am flying under the radar for this years Tour de France, that is fine with me.I can understand why thats the thought, especially lking at the calibre of favourites such as Britains defending and two-time champion Chris Frme, my old teammate on the Sky team and still a gd friend; Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Spaniard Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) and even the Italian duo of Fabio Aru and Vincenzo Nibali (both Astana) are also strong contenders for the yellow jersey.Theyve all won grand tours, whether its the Giro dItalia, Tour de France or Vuelta a Espana, to illustrate their class.Me?Well, seventh overall on my grand tour debut, in the 2010 Giro, when I was not a team leader, is my best result; the only time I led a team for a three-week race, for Sky in last years Giro, I had to pull out due to crash injuries in a race that all in all was marred by problems.I have otherwise helped leaders win, such as Contador in the 2011 Giro [a win later stripped off Contador for doping in the 2010 Tour - ed], Briton Bradley Wiggins (Sky) in the 2012 Tour, and Frme in the 2013 and 2015 Tours de France. This years Tour will be my first with BMC, after leaving Sky, and my first as a leader ... or co-leader with American Tejay van Garderen.My goal? It is to be in contention for the podium. Why not? I believe I have the ability and form that includes four top-four finishes in World Tour stage races. Most important though is that I do the best I can possibly can without something outside of my control impacting it.Id be lying if I said there wasnt a bit of nervousness, but I have controlled everything I can to be ready. Im as in gd condition as Ive ever been. Ive done the training and reconnaissance; Ive checked out nine of the 21 stages. I have had onlytwo hiccups. The first of those was the gastro that forced me out of the Tour de Romandie in May. Then I lost my podium place at the Criterium du Dauphiné on the last stage when Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r) attacked on the left in the last 400 metres and Irishman Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) went with him when I was on the right and caught in behind Frme and the Sky guys. Bardet and Martin moved up to second and third overall respectively, pushing me from second to fourth. But I still finished feeling very gd about where I am for the Tour.Frme: A Mate But A Hard ReadI hear all the talk about how my Tour may be impacted by my friendship with Frmey.There was plenty of it during the Criterium du Dauphiné when people said I raced with him t much rather than against him. But the fact is, during the Tour the same may happen.We may face a situation where there is mutual gain to be shared by racing the same tactics.But that could happen with anybody. You still have to be one of the strongest to be up there in the overall race as I hope or plan to be so long as I can avoid incident or health issues.Even then, that does not mean I wont attack him. If I need to and can, I will. But being his mate doesnt mean I will be able to read his mind just like that. Even as a teammate, it was hard. He would say he is feeling gd but you didnt know. It is difficult to read his body language. If others are having a bad day, you can tell; but Frmey is a hard bk to read.Sure, at the Tour I will have to be a little guarded about what I chat to him about during quieter moments. But truth be known, the Tour is not the time to catch up with mates.Co-leading BMC With Tejay van GarderenAgain, a lot of people will be wondering how myself and van Garderen are going to go as co-leaders on BMC. But we have a gd relationship. We have spoken and trained a lot together. We will just have to wait and see where we are placed by the third week.If we are both in the mix and strong, having two of us there should be a gd thing.With Sky (Frme) and Movistar (Quintana) being so strong, it should not be BMCs responsibility to take the race on; but if we are both there after they do, it could help us.We like our team thats been selected, especially for the first week when it gets hectic in those early bunch finishes. We have riders like Switzerlands Micky Sch?r and German Marcus Burghardt to protect us from the washing-machine madness of it all. Another is American Brent Bkwalter, one of the most underrated riders who will also be gd for the mountains -- where Frenchman Ama?l Moinard should shine. Think how Brent, Burgy, Micky and Ama?l all rode on the BMC team that helped Cadel Evans win the 2011 Tour, and you realise how much man and brain power is there to help Tejay and I. Add Italian Damiano Caruso for the climbs, and Aussie Rohan Dennis and Belgian Greg Van Avermaet, who will also get chances for stage wins, and we have every reason to be excited with our line-up.Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru, Vincenzo NibaliSo, the other major contenders?I can understand why so much has been said of Quintana; I saw why first hand at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya [that Quintana won]. He was so gd. I just dont know how much better he can be other than that because he was flying.Its also been interesting to see Contador race so aggressively, but thats Alberto isnt it?However, I dont think you can gamble with your efforts that much in the Tour. You dont want to be in the red every day. So I think Alberto might have to ride a little more defensive. It doesnt make sense to attack when there are still three Sky guys and Movistar guys riding.I know there is a lot of talk about last years Vuelta winner, Aru; but his teammate Nibali, who won this years Giro, has also flown clean under the radar in Tour reckoning this year.Okay, he says he will be at the Tour to help Aru. But people forget Nibali won the Tour in 2014. He has now just won the Giro. He is coming in with no pressure. He will be dangerous.Cheap Nike Vapormax Womens . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Cheap Nike Vapormax Australia . -- The bs poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. http://www.wholesalevapormaxaustralia.com/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Nike Vapormax Australia . 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Cheap Nike Vapormax Shoes . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim.LONDON -- To see middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin and welterweight titlist Kell Brk stand face to face to pose for photos -- and then shake hands like the true pros that they are -- following Thursdays final news conference one would never guess that Brk is coming up two weight divisions to challenge the most feared man in boxing.They lk roughly the same size, but that is just what Brk is going to do when they meet in a fight with potentially historic implications on Saturday (HBO, 50 p.m. ET/PT with a replay at 10 p.m. ET/PT) at the sold-out O2 Arena.Brk (36-0, 25 KOs), 30, who will have his home country behind him, admittedly has struggled to make the welterweight limit of 147 pounds in recent fights, but he has done it. He has defended his world title three times, all by knockout, since traveling to the United States and upsetting Shawn Porter to claim the belt by majority decision in August 2014.This fight couldnt have come at a better time for Kell. Hes been lking to move up in weight for a long, long time but we pursued the route to the welterweight title, trainer Dominic Ingle said. But we had 20-week training camps just to get down to weight. Theres been times we had him on special diets so he could safely make the weight. People are now realizing that Kell Brk is not a small guy, a welterweight stepping up to challenge a middleweight.This is the only time Ive seen him happy in a training camp. Never had a smile on his face when he had to make 147, but this time hes been happy the whole training camp as he makes 160.Indeed, at various mandated weight checks, Brk outweighed Golovkin each time and lks strong at his new weight.He wanted to face top names in the loaded welterweight division, just like Golovkin has wanted to at middleweight, but neither could get any takers. When Brks promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchrm Boxing, offered him Golovkin -- when Golovkins fight with contender Chris Eubank Jr. went south -- Brk immediately accepted. He is that confident in himself.I am happy with the decision to make this enormous fight, and the sold-out crowd and the viewing figures on TV will prove that this is a massive fight, Brk said. Everyone in boxing knows that I am a big guy. People who dont know think that the weight is going to be an issue. Im more vicious in sparring when I am around 160 pounds or coming down from heavier than that. Thats where I am healthier in training and I can give so much more output in the gym, and that means the full 100 percent will come from me in the fight.I believe [the result is] written and I will shock the world Saturday night.He and Hearn believe a win would be the biggest in British boxing history. If some disagree there is no question it would at least be in the conversation along with fights such as Randy Turpins 15-round decision upset of Sugar Ray Robinson to win the middleweight title in 1951, Ricky Hattons 11th-round knockout of Kostya Tszyu to win the junior welterweight title in 2005 and Tyson Furys decision win over Wladimir Klitschko 10 months ago to win the heavyweight title.Kell is moving up two weight divisions to fight the most feared fighter in world boxing, Hearn said. There have been some huge British wins, but as a one-off win I think this is up there with one of the greatest wins of all time. Brk beating GGG is on another level because youre fighting a top pound-for-pound fighter in his prime. If Hatton would have beaten Floyd Mayweather that possibly would have been the greatest win for a British fighter, but he didnt.Said Brk: I have to say that me winning this fight Saturday night is the biggest win in British history of any era. Me moving up two weight divisions to beat the most feared man on the planet, unified middleweight champion, is the biggest win. Sugar Ray Robinson is my favorite fighter of all time and Turpins win is way up there but you have to put this one off win I will get as the best ever in British history.K2 Promotions Tom Loeffler, who represents Golovkin, has had a bear of time making matches for GGG and was relieved when Brk accepted the fight.We dont have to go through the list of all the full fledged middleweights who have turned down fights, given up titles and negotiated until the 11th hour and then not sign the contract, Loeffler said, referring to opponents such as Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders and Eubank. Its unbelievable how difficult it was to find someone to get in the ring with Gennady.But Brk agreed and if he pulls off the upset -- he is a considerable underdog -- he will become only the third reigning welterweight titleholder to move up and win a middleweight world title.dddddddddddd The others are all-time greats enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame: Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio, both of whom did it in the 1950s.Im going to follow the greats and make history, Brk said. The likes of Felix Trinidad, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao have all moved through the weights to prove they are greats at all weights. Theres a small window of opportunity to do something special and I am going to take my chance to prove that I am a special fighter.The fans pay our wages and I want to give back to the fans. I have been telling them for ages that I want big fights and they havent believed me. They dont know the politics that go on behind the scenes through no fault of my own. Ive had injuries, mandatories. Its been hard to get big fights, and as sn as theres been the window of these big fights happening, Ive been let down by people not wanting to dance.Brks countryman, Amir Khan, whom he has verbally sparred with for years but never been able to finalize a fight with after multiple attempts, moved up from welterweight to middleweight (albeit at a catch weight) to face lineal champion Alvarez in May but got badly knocked out in the sixth round. Brk does not plan on that happening to him.His moniker throughout his career is The Special One, and now he wants to prove it against no ordinary titleholder. Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs), 34, the Kazakhstan native fighting out of Santa Monica, California, will be making his 17th title defense. He has knocked out 22 opponents in a row, his knockout percentage of 91.4 is the highest in middleweight title history and he has displayed an iron chin.Yet, Golovkin has shown enormous respect for Brk and sure made it sounds like he presents at least some danger.I respect Kell Brk and his team, Golovkin said. I know he understands for both of us, this is the biggest fight. He lks ready, Im ready. This is a big gift for boxing fans. Not just in the U.K., but for all boxing fans.Kell Brk is a very gd boxer and I respect him for taking this fight. He is more than ready. He is an undefeated champion and this will be the biggest fight of my career. He is coming up from welterweight so his speed will be a new test for me. I hope our styles match well to give the fans a present. I want to produce a dramatic show and that is why I have come to London.Brk, however, did not sound like a man preparing to rely on speed. He has quite a bit of thunder in his fists and believes the power will join him in his new weight class.When he feels the power that I have thats going to be a strong, powerful and quick middleweight hitting him, not a welterweight, Brk said. Im going to put it all together. Golovkin is like Mike Tyson -- people have lost before they even get in there with him. Im not interested in what hes going to do. Im focused on what I need to deliver to win.Hearn said he was surprised by the overwhelming response from the public when the bout was announced. This fight has hit fever pitch -- fans coming up to me dozens of times today and asking, Can Kell do it? He lks strong. Is GGG really the beast people say he is, Hearn said.And then Hearn, who needed barely a couple of days to finalize the fight with Loeffler, tk a whack at those who fled from sharing a ring with Golovkin.Any fighter who wishes to face Gennady, these are very easy people to deal with, Hearn said. They just want to fight the very best and thats what they are doing with Kell Brk, 35-0 versus 36-0. It doesnt get any bigger or better than this.Hearn, who has a close relationship with Brk, was pleased to be able to deliver such a huge fight to him.There are so many times Ive sat with him and his dad and they said, We want it all, we can beat them all. You just have to give us the chance to show it, Hearn said. On Saturday, he takes the outrageous leap of two weight divisions to a place where he knows he is so comfortable, so much stronger, so much more full of belief. But in front of him he has the toughest, most dangerous fighter in world boxing. But isnt that what the sport is about? Isnt it about the best fighting the best?Two undefeated fighters, two fighters with so much talent, so much skill, so much power, so much grace, in front of 17,000 people, an event that sold out in only [11] minutes. This is what the sport is all about.That, and possible history for Brk, who can truly earn his Special One nickname with a victory. ' ' '