Scotland's Alex Arthur believes victory over the unbeaten Joan Guzman would lift him into boxing's premier league and allow him to shake off a reputation as one of the sport's nearly men.
The 29-year-old Scot faces Guzman for the WBO super-featherweight title on May 3 at Edinburgh's Meadowbank Arena.
Arthur, who won the interim title while Guzman dithered over his future, has been made to wait for what will be the biggest fight of his career.
But in less than six weeks the waiting will be over when he steps into the ring against his formidable Dominican Republic opponent in front of a fanatical Scottish support.
Arthur said: "This is where I belong. I have been a professional too long and I want people to start recognising that I'm an authentic world champion and a world championship-level fighter.
"It would give me my place in boxing history. I've always wanted to be known as a multiple-weight champion and victory would give me my first major title.
"I would be hoping at some point to make a relatively quick defence because I believe I have been left out of the ring too long in between fights for different reasons.
"I was due to fight in March, then March became April and April has now become May."
Arthur is a man in a hurry but he will face Guzman as the underdog probably for the first time in his professional career.
However, he believes that fact alone gives him a huge psychological advantage over his opponent.
He added: "It takes a lot of pressure off me. I don't need to worry about going in and having to stamp my authority on the fight or to convince people I'm the better fighter.
"It gives you an edge and it gives you sharpness, something you need going into a fight like this. Everything is in my favour and I have got to remember that.
"Being the underdog could be just one of those things that works to my advantage. I'm at home and I'll have my crowd and all my comforts and won't need to worry about time zones or the climate.
"The support I get when the fans come out is unbelievable. It's something we spoke about last week when me and my dad went down to see (promoter) Frank Warren.
"We were speaking about places to hold the fight and we all came to the conclusion this would be the best venue because it is a terrifying place for opponents."
Two prospective training camps have been organised for Arthur and his strength and conditioning coach.
They will go to either Cyprus or Las Vegas - and an imminent phone call from trainer Wayne McCullough should decide the destination for his intense fight preparations.
But Arthur insisted: "It doesn't matter where you train, where you go or where you have been. All that matters is that you train hard and prepare the best you can for the next fight.
"We are trying hard now to get a few of the selected sparring partners I've wanted to work with if I ever fought someone with Guzman's style.
"They are all in Vegas and unfortunately we can't get hold of them, that's why I thought, 'Why don't you just go there and get all the sparring you need?'.
"But the advantage of Cyprus is that I'm in seclusion. I've got a good friend who has a fantastic training camp in Limassol.
"He lives right on the mountains for running and just a short drive from a strength and conditioning facility."
More news from SportingLife.com
