Michael Zerafa admits he "couldn't care less" whether his rivalry with Tim Tszyu finally makes it to the ring, instead opting to leave behind his "bad guy" persona.
The polarising Aussie star will be in action on Wednesday night in the co-main event at No Limit's event in Sydney, taking on the dangerous Besir Ay.
The pay-per-view will be headlined by Keith Thurman against Brock Jarvis.
Zerafa has won five of his last six bouts, with his only loss in that period coming at the hands of Erislandy Lara in a middleweight world title clash.
The 32-year-old has been a far more mellow version of himself ahead of his next fight at the famous Hordern Pavilion, explaining his desire to get back to his roots.
"I just focused more on being the boxer and not the bad guy or the villain," Zerafa said at the official weigh-ins on Tuesday morning.
"I want to go out there and bring the old Zerafa back, the one who fought Jeff Horn the first time and dismantled Issac Hardman. I'm switched on and ready for a great fight.
"I've got the gift of the gab with trying to sell the fights, but we've got Keith here and I can't compete with him [with trash talk].
"This was a perfect place to kick back and relax and focus solely on boxing."
Should he come away with a victory, Zerafa would slowly move back towards a potential world title opportunity - but there's still one name on the agenda Down Under.
The long-standing rivalry with Tszyu has never gone away, and while Zerafa has left the door ajar for it to turn into "the biggest fight in Australia", he also recognises the former champ has his eyes elsewhere ahead of a showdown with Thurman later in 2025.
"We don't need each other," Zerafa said bluntly.
"I'm still top 10 in the world. My goal as a kid was to be a world champion - not to fight Tim Tszyu. I couldn't care less what they're doing and I've got nothing against them.
"But it's the biggest fight in Australia and we're both at the top, so it makes sense.
"He's a professional, despite our differences … I think he gets through [Joey] Spencer, but it will be a hard fight against Thurman.
"He will do well and be back up there very quick."
