Edgar Berlanga admitted that he may be looking past the threat posed by Jason Quigley this weekend, in a fight to be shown live on DAZN.
The 26-year-old fighter is back after his last fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo in June 2022, where he was sanctioned for attempting to bite his opponent.
A win for either Berlanga or his 32-year-old Irish opponent could help launch a potential title challenge, something Quigley already attempted and failed against Demetrius Andrade.
Berlanga is ready to get back into the ring after his extended absence, and explained why he plumped for Eddie Hearn to represent him.
"I had a lot of options, but Matchroom came through with the best deal and I'm excited to get started," he said.
"Eddie has a vision for his fighters. A lot of promoters don't have a good relationship with their fighters; Eddie and I have been working for five months and we have chemistry already with the whole team - the vibe is different, the energy is good, they want to see me win and go to the top.”
The New Yorker then acknowledged he believes he is the heavy favourite, explaining: "Jason is a great fighter. He thinks I'm overlooking him, maybe I am in the sense that I believe I am on a different level to him.
"The fights that I want to make happen, I must perform this weekend, I need to look spectacular. So, I am not overlooking him, far from it, but I want to prove that I am better than him. I think you're going to see something explosive."