David Nyika's got Tyson Fury in his corner and the Queensland town of Gatton in his pocket.
Or at least he will after the Olympic bronze medallist officially announces himself in the ring there, more than a year after moving to train under Noel Thornberry.
The cruiserweight prospect from New Zealand has earned the backing of heavyweight champion Fury and UFC megastar Israel Adesanya, who walked him into the ring before his most-recent fight on Joseph Parker's Melbourne undercard in May.
But Nyika has spurned the idea of a high-profile overseas base, opting instead for Thornberry's shed in Gatton, about 100km west of Brisbane, as he chases his world-title dreams.
"I pound the pavement most days; I've got a relationship with the cars on the roads, they give me plenty of space," the Tokyo Games bronze medallist and New Zealand flag-bearer told AAP.
"I'm starting to realise more and more I'm a small-town guy. They see me, but I'm not sure they know what I'm about."
That's why the 27-year-old urged Thornberry to add him to a July 28 card that will also feature Jackson Jon England in the first of what promoters hope will become regular Gatton fight nights.
"I said to Noel, 'You have to put me on, I have to fight in this'," Nyika, who is working as a janitor in his spare time, said.
"It will give a bit more context as to why they see me running at all times of the day, in a 10-15 kilometre radius of Gatton.
"I'd love to be front and centre to put Gatton on the map ... I'll get my own street named after me one day, hopefully."
Nyika will fight Waikato Falefehi, who knocked down Sonny Bill Williams in a narrow 2021 loss.
"He's put some dents in some big names and gave SBW a run for his money; you can't find footage of that fight for that reason," Nyika said.
The New Zealander is 6-0 and yearning activity after 18 months of world-class sparring, most recently against IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
"We go to war; we have to limit it a bit, otherwise there'd be broken bones, heads rattled," he said.
"It's deadly competitive."
Fury has endorsed Nyika's world-class pedigree ever since hosting him at a 2021 training camp.
Opetaia is finalising the first defence of his titles, belts Nyika forecasts he will contend for inside the next two years.
"I truly believe that (Opetaia) is the best cruiserweight holding a belt right now," Nyika said.
"I have my sights firmly set on his title and all the other titles at the top."
