As Jai Opetaia's belt-holding rivals duck for cover his next target is stoking the flames after ironically rejecting a $160,000 offer not to fight Australia's knockout king.
The Ring and IBF cruiserweight world boxing champion will put those belts on the line against Germany's Huseyin Cinkara in the headline act of a stacked Gold Coast card on Saturday.
It will be the 30-year-old's eighth fight since he sensationally won the belts in a bloody war three years ago with Latvian colossus Mairis Briedis.
Opetaia's jaw was broken twice in that fight but the underdog pushed on to claim a memorable victory.
Since then he's plundered opponents in England, Saudi Arabia and back on the Gold Coast, with a Briedis rematch early last year his only genuine test.
This year he's delivered a thunderous knockout to stop the previously unbeaten David Nyika in his tracks and then savagely broke Italian Claudio Squeo's jaw to improve to 28-0.
So devastating have his performances been that he's struggled to lock in unification fights, with Mateusz Masternak, Richard Riakporhe, Chris Billam-Smith and most recently Gilberto Ramirez all retreating from negotiations while holding belts.
Then there's the Turkey-based Cinkara (23-0), who as mandatory challenger a year ago was forced out of a January title fight by injury.
With Opetaia's promotional team keen to pursue a Billam-Smith blockbuster, the 40-year-old was offered USD$100,000 ($A245,000) to step aside.
He said no and, what's more, has arrived in Australia declaring he'll "knock Opetaia senseless in front of his own fans".
Opetaia, who fought for Australia at the Olympics at the record age of 17, has never understood why his divisional rivals have avoided unification fights.
Driven by legacy, not riches, he was happy to hear Cinkara didn't take the deal.
"I would have been pretty disappointed if he took it," Opetaia told AAP.
"We sacrifice this time and effort and then some big promoter wants to dangle some cash to step aside.
"I wouldn't. You have all these pen-pushers trying to move you like chess pieces.
"Good on you, doing what he wants. I respect him.
"But at the same time if you want my belt, come and f***ing get it."
Saturday's sold-out Convention and Exhibition Centre show will be a pay-per-view broadcast on Stan Sport as part of a new three-fight deal struck by Opetaia's and promoter Mick Francis of Tasman Fighters.
Should the Australian win, they plan to fly to Los Angeles and confront the winner of the WBC title clash on December 13 between champion Badou Jack and Noel Mikaelian.
But Opetaia isn't looking past Cinkara, who has 19 stoppages in his 23 wins.
"He's good, he's dangerous and he's got everything to gain and nothing to lose," he said.
"We focus on little things, maybe a certain punch that might work against a certain guy, but not too much.
"It's just about making minimal mistakes, just sharpening and wanting perfection every day."
