Unbeaten Welsh boxer Taylor Bevan believes he is ready for the “step up” when he faces the experienced Martin Bulacio on Saturday.
Bevan, 25, has won all seven of his professional fights to date, and all of them by knockout.
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But the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist expects Saturday’s super middleweight bout against 36-year-old Bulacio to go the distance.
“I don’t go into any fight anticipating to knock them out, I just want to put on good performances,” Bevan told BBC Sport Wales.
“If a knockout comes, it comes, that’s a bonus. But especially this fight, Bulacio is very experienced.
“I think I’ll have to show a bit of skill and strategy to get him out of there, it won’t come from a one-off flash punch because he’s been in with some top people and they’ve gone the distance with him.
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“So I could see it going the full eight rounds.”
Bulacio, from Cordoba, Argentina, has won 15 of his 25 professional fights, with 10 ending by knockout.
And Bevan – who has already beaten two 15-win fighters in his career – expects a sterner test from his previous time in the ring.
“He’s been in with some top operators, the people he’s lost to are all very respectable opponents,” said Bevan.
“The one thing that stood out is how tough he is and his durability.
“It’s something I haven’t seen in the professional ring yet so I’m looking forward to it.
“It’ll be a good little step up and I’m looking to show my skills off against him.”
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Despite the threat carried by Bulacio, Bevan remained confident in his ability to improve to 8-0 as a professional.
“He shows vulnerability in quite a few areas, to be honest,” said Bevan.
“He takes shots very well, so any shots that do land on him I think he will be able to take, but it’s a case of breaking him down over eight rounds.
“I’m looking forward to it because I think the better the opponent, the better side of me that he’ll bring out.”
Bevan and Bulacio fight at the Copper Box Arena in London on the undercard of the George Liddard and Tyler Denny British and Commonwealth title fight.
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‘I’m very critical of myself’
It has been three months since Bevan was last in the ring, most recently beating Mickey Ellison back in December.
And while three months is not considered a long period of time between fights, it has been the biggest gap to date in Bevan’s career.
Bevan’s seven wins came in the space of just 13 months, in what has been a dream start to life as a professional fighter.
“It couldn’t have gone better,” said Bevan. “I’ve had seven wins and seven knockouts, so I couldn’t have asked for a better start.
“It’s more than I expected to be honest, I didn’t expect to be kept this active in my first year, it’s gone brilliantly so far.
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“I think that’s important for a young fighter to stay active so you just roll into each camp.”
Despite the increasingly eye-catching record, Bevan said his most recent fight was the first he was happy with.
“I was pleased with my performance in that fight [against Mickey Ellison],” said Bevan.
“It is probably the first one I’ve actually been happy with. I’m very critical of myself.
“I feel like it’s taken me that long to settle into the pro game, to be honest.
“I’ve learnt loads from every fight and I’m hoping to build on that last fight going forward.
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“I’m going to have to use things that I learnt from that fight to break Bulacio down over the eight rounds and look to get him out of there.
“But if it ends up going the eight and I win on points then I’ll be happy with that as well.”
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