Kell Brook is determined to make up for lost time when he makes the third defence of his IBF welterweight title against Canadian Kevin Bizier in his home city of Sheffield on Saturday night.
Brook has been out of action since May last year after suffering a broken rib shortly after a routine win over domestic rival Frankie Gavin, and wants to use the Bizier fight to re-stamp his authority on the 147lb division.
Brook said: "I believe I'm the best welterweight on the planet and I need to go out there and prove that I'm ready for the really big fights ahead.
"I always rise to the occasion and I always find a way. On Saturday I'm ready for an old-fashioned war and I'm intent on exciting everybody who turns up to see the show."
Brook shocked American Shawn Porter to win the title in August 2014, but then endured more than a year on the sidelines as he recuperated from serious injuries sustained in a stabbing incident in Tenerife.
A routine win over Romanian Jo Jo Dan followed before the low-key win over Gavin, and Brook is fancied to get the job done with the minimum of fuss against mandatory challenger Bizier.
The Canadian has won 25 of his 27 fights, but tellingly been beaten twice by Dan, both via split decisions in 2013 and 2014.
Nevertheless, Brook insists he will be anything but complacent, adding: "I know Bizier is a strong, come-forward fighter and it is about working hard to try and break his heart.
"Camp has gone unbelievably well. I've missed out on a few things like not celebrating birthdays and Christmas, but my mind's been on the job in hand and making sure we've done everything right."
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