Tommy Langford hopes victory over Lewis Taylor will propel him up the middleweight rankings, but is prepared to wait for a shot at WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders.
The Birmingham boxer will put his 15-fight unbeaten record on the line when he battles Taylor for the vacant Commonwealth title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on February 13.
Langford has risen to No 6 in the WBO standings and holds ambitious plans for the future, but his immediate aim is an impressive victory over Taylor next month.
"Last year was a bit of a break out year for me," he told Sky Sports. "Obviously I won the WBO Inter-Continental, which was my first title, and every performance was an improvement.
"I'm not looking past Taylor in any fashion at all, but I want to go out and do a really good job on him and make a statement really. Then I can push on for bigger titles.
"I don't really want to hold my feet and stay at domestic level long. I want to push on to European and world level really. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll still be undefeated and looking at potential world titles."
Saunders was crowned as the new WBO title holder after he floored Andy Lee twice on the way to a points win last month and at this stage in his career, 26-year-old Langford fully admits he needs a few profile-building wins before he can challenge his fellow Brit.
"Like any fighter who is in the sport to fight the best, if the offer comes along I would take it at a drop of a hat," he said.
"But in reality, if you want the purses that a world title fight demands, then the fight needs to be built up.
"I'm a few fights off it because I need to establish myself as a viable contender for the world title, because I'm still relatively unknown to the general public. I would say three more fights against good opposition, domestic and international, and I'll be more than ready."
The former England amateur captain is part of a thriving domestic division that also includes British champion Nick Blackwell, Chris Eubank Jr and John Ryder.
Eubank Jr attracted plenty of attention after last month's high-profile stoppage win over Spike O' Sullivan, but Langford is confident he could expose his rival's weaknesses.
"Eubank Jr is good if you stand in front of him," said Langford. "He's a good fighter, but I think you can outbox Eubank Jr really. If you're a good mover, good on your feet, a long-range boxer, then you can outbox Eubank Jr with not too much trouble.
"I don't buy into the hype and it is a hype train, really. I don't think he is the puncher that he's supposed to be. He does not put anyone out cold and he hasn't done.
"That being said, a fight with him is a big-money fight, because he does attract the attention of the public."