Tim Tszyu fears Bakhram Murtazaliev may not front for their world title fight as the Australian strives to rule the global super-welterweight division.
The pair are slated to square off next month - either in Australia or Las Vegas - after the International Boxing Federation ordered Murtazaliev (22-0, 16KOs) to defend his IBF belt against Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs).
But after having a succession of scheduled blockbusters fall over, mostly through no shows from his opponents, Tszyu is suitably wary and reckons his undefeated Russian rival may be the next to dodge him.
"I hope Bakhram doesn't start making stuff up as well," Tszyu said on a Zoom call from his Vegas base on Thursday.
"I've got some bad feeling that he's going to come in with an injury warning as well.
"So it is what it is. I'm sort of used to it now."
The Sydney slayer's reservations come after Erickson Lubin was the latest to sidestep him, the American knocking back an IBF world title eliminator showdown on September 22.
That setback came after one-time undisputed divisional king Jermell Charlo withdrew from a unification mega-fight in January last year and fellow American Keith Thurman also scratched himself from a pay-per-view Vegas stoush in July.
Sebastian Fundora also denied Tszyu a rematch after inflicting the first defeat of the 29-year-old's career in a controversial bout in March.
Then, frustratingly, Tsyzu was ruled unfit for a proposed world title fight with Vergil Ortiz Jnr because doctors were concerned the former WBO champ had not sufficiently recovered from a nasty head gash suffered against Fundora.
"I don't blame them actually," Tszyu said, conceding it's no great surprise his rivals are unwilling to enter the ring with the self-styled Soul Taker.
"With my experience, with what I've had to deal with with pullouts, I'm just hoping ... just seeing the worst.
"It's hard, man. It's hard to make fights these days."
If Murtazaliev does show up, most likely on September 22, Tszyu will be fighting a Russian for the first time in a fascinating match-up between two "old-school" boxers.
"I don't think my dad is too happy but it's a great opportunity for myself," Tszyu said of the chance to join his father Kostya as a multiple world champion.
"I was brought up in a Russian household - as soon as we cross over the doors of my grandparents' house, it goes from Australia to Russia, the Soviet Union.
"So the Russian boxing school is a big part of my upbringing so I'm very keen to fight a fellow Russian and it will be an interesting fight.
"It's very awkward and there's a saying you don't want to be fighting Soviet fighters because you don't know what to expect.
"They're deadly and their mind is bullet proof.
"But that's the opponent that I've taken on and I'm willing to take it with both hands."
And Tszyu firmly believes a victory over Murtazaliev would allow him to take control of the stacked super-welterweight division and secure another big-money title fight before Christmas.
"When you get the belt, you're the shot caller," he said.
"And instead of chasing people, they come running to you.
"So that's the position I want to be at. "
