In boxing, especially at the championship level, most fighters are expected to have a certain look.

Just take a peek up and down most of the divisions. The likes of Jaron Ennis, Canelo Alvarez, and Teofimo Lopez walk around with their shirts off and the six-packs and protruding muscles clear for all to see. But the higher a fiighter moves up in weight, the more you're likely to notice a difference in body structure.

The heavyweights of today have been known to let themselves go a bit. Tyson Fury has the sort of body that gym goers would question, Oleksandr Usyk isn’t a marvelous physical specimen, and Andy Ruiz Jr. has looks that would deceive just about anyone. Pryce Taylor, an up-and-coming heavyweight prospect from Brooklyn, New York, falls in line with those same body types.

The chastisement he’s received from critics doesn't get under his skin. He isn’t in the sport of boxing to prove he’s a muscle head. The way he sees it, his skills stack up with the best out there.

“It’s not about how my body looks,” said Pryce to The Ring during a recent interview. “Can I box? Can I fight? Can I move? I can do all of that. I got the power, technique, and I’m always in great shape. Some people have to look a certain way to fight good. I’m a boxer, not a bodybuilder. I’m able to perform, and I stay in shape all year round.”

All prospects reach the stage Taylor (7-0, 5 KOs) is currently walking across. On Friday, June 6, at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, he’ll take on Ed Fountain. On paper, the 36-year-old looks like the best opponent he’s faced yet, but it’s a fight he’s expected to win.

Expectations, however, is a dangerous word in the sport. Upsets happen constantly, and while Fountain is a decisive underdog, he’s thrown off a few prospects during his career.

Taylor doesn’t want to come across as arrogant, but he knows his man isn’t on his level. Could something disastrous happen? Well, in a conjectural world, of course. But this isn’t the first time they’ve run across each other.

“I already fought my opponent a million times in my head,” Pryce continued. “A million times I’ve fought him in my head, so to me, this isn’t really the first time I’m fighting him. I overthink everything and I pay attention to everything that my opponent does. His movement, his timing, I pay attention to everything. I do too much studying to get upset at this level. I have to be 10 steps ahead. I’m not overlooking anybody.”

The unpredictable nature of the sport doesn’t place any fear into Pryce’s heart. He knows that he can’t afford to slip up. So while Fountain may be a tough and durable, the 27-year-old prospect expects him to fall at his feet at some point.

“He’ll fall in line.”