Former Irish amateur champion Eric Donovan has set his sights on eventually challenging for a world title as he prepares to headline the bill in just his fourth professional fight next week.
The Kildare lightweight will face Hungarian Laszlo Horvath in the main bout of Celtic Clash 2, which takes place at the National Stadium, Dublin on Saturday May 27, less than a year after switching to the paid ranks.
"Professional boxing is something I've always looked to aspire to," he told RTÉ Sport.
"Prince Naseem was my hero as a kid. The whole razmatazz and showcase, the flips over the ropes...
"He really turned them into an extravagant event. I always wanted to try and experience something like that and here I am in my fourth professional fight, getting the opportunity to top the bill.
"It's a huge honour for me.
"I don't think I'll be flipping over the ropes, I'll play it safe and go through them!"
Donovan, who was put through his paces at a media workout this week by former WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee, has made a 100% start to his pro career after winning five Irish titles and a European bronze medal as an amateur.
"It's completely different to the amateur game," he reflected. "Amateur boxing is more skill-based.
"There's a different passion from the professional fans. There's more aggression. They really want to see blood in a sense.
"Prize-fighting in general is coming to the fore. People are captivated by it and we're slowly building a fan-base.
"Hopefully we can bring some magic nights back to this country, like the Bernard Dunne and Steve Collins days.
"We've Katie Taylor, Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes turning professional, who are capable of bringing world-title shows back to Ireland, and hopefully I can join them one day."
Although 'Lilywhite Lightning' Donovan turns 32 in July, he doesn't believe he's left it too late to make a mark.
"I don't think age is a real factor," he said. "I have a lot of experience, I'm 31 now, but it's not really old today in sporting terms.
"Maybe 30 or 40 years ago that would be the end but sports science, strength and conditioning and lifestyle choices can help you to have a prolonged long career.
"With professional boxing, unlike amateur boxing where you might have 20 fights a year, I'm going nearly a year and I've had three fights.
"It's not that much wear and tear on the body. Once you look after yourself, train right, and make sure your preparation is good, you can have a long career."
Class experience sparring world class professionals @ryanburnett01 @CEdwardsBoxing tnx for hospitality @boxingbooth pic.twitter.com/nfHilWyHli
— Eric Donovan (@eric_donovan60) May 19, 2017
Hungarian Horvath (4-5-0) has stepped in after Donovan's initial opponent Juan Luis Gonzalez (9-6-0) was stopped in his native Spain last week.
Donovan is eager to further build on his already impressive start (3 wins, 2 KOs) and then move to bigger targets.
"It's important as a professional boxer starting out that you have some time to adjust to the game," he said.
"You don't want to be boxing any world-beaters in your first few fights. But at the same time, you don't want to stay (fighting) boxing journeymen for too long because they can bring you down to their level. They're unpredictable and you can get into a slog with them.
"The better the opponent, the more is at stake, which brings out the best in me.
"I want to test myself. I often ask myself, how good am I? Sometimes I believe I'm very good in the gym and sparring but I want to showcase that on fight night.
"The sooner I can test myself against the best the better."
