Wanganui-born boxer Robert Berridge has his eyes set on more gold and higher stakes for what will be the biggest local fight in his division for some time in July.
After his highlight reel knockout of world-ranked Australian Serge Yannick in Melbourne on April 18, "the Butcher" and his management team are gearing up to face Otorohanga's Daniel MacKinnon, a 20-year veteran who is in the same camp as Shane Cameron, and their manager Ken Reinsfield.
Back down in Wanganui on Saturday with his trainer Cleve Langdon to run a training course at cousin Paul Berridge's Fight Fit gym, the 28-year-old said the fight is tentatively planned for either July 4 or 11 in Auckland.
With Berridge now ranked by some online sites as high as 23rd in the world, the MacKinnon fight represents a big opportunity for both men.
MacKinnon, 29, also has a solid world ranking after winning the WBO Oriental light heavyweight title by beating Australian Mark Flanagan earlier this year.
He also won the WBO Oriental super middleweight title in 2008, has fought a world champion and competed on Australian reality television show The Contender.
Eager for their next challenge after dismissing Yannick, Langdon confirmed plans had been afoot to box on the undercard of the next fight for New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker.
However, when that "just didn't work out", Berridge's manager Vasco Kovacevic entered negotiations with Reinsfield for their own show with the light heavyweight bout headlining.
Berridge would love to get his hands on an WBO title, while he also holds the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association's (NZPBA) belt.
"It's not set in concrete but it's very close. It will happen," said Langdon. It was one bout the boxing fraternity wanted to see, he said, while his man could stake his claim as pound-for-pound New Zealand's No1 fighter if he pulls off an impressive win.
"If things go well he is potentially only a few fights away from a world title fight."
For Langdon, the key is to keep improving on Berridge's (19-1-1, 14 knockouts) explosive punching power, acknowledging his man had seemed "a bit flat" as the rounds ticked by in Melbourne before he put Yannick to the canvas twice.
"Not everyone can knock somebody out with an off-balance left hook, going backwards, in the eighth round.
"He's like a diesel engine, still going."
While Berridge continues the "hard graft" to attract sponsorship and media attention in his homeland, his fights and stature across the ditch continues to grow.
"They were dubbing him an honorary Aussie we obviously refute that," laughed Langdon.