Abdullah Mason believes he took the first step towards boxing greatness when he won the WBO lightweight world title.
The American is still only 21 years old and beat Sam Noakes over the course of a thrilling championship fight to win the vacant belt.
"I feel like I'm one of the great fighters in my division, and I'm going to keep proving to be one of the best fighters in my division," Mason told SportNews.
"This is a door opener to a lot more greatness. So now we're just going to stay focused and keep improving."
Twelve rounds with an opponent as strong and determined as Noakes was a proving ground for Mason.
"It was an earned title, for sure. I feel like it's going to be one of the most memorable fights I've had," the American said.
"It was my first time even getting past six rounds, so to fight that kind of 12-round fight, it was even more confirmation that I was prepared for it - to be able to do that in that type of fight and come out on top with the title to show for it."
Mason's longer term targets encompass becoming a multi-weight world champion. "I feel like it's an accomplishable goal. If I'm still healthy and in the sport by the time I want to hit super-lightweight, then maybe. But right now, it's lightweight," he said.
Securing a world title at such a young age is a hallmark of real talent. Sugar Ray Leonard won his first world title at the age of 23, Tommy Hearns won his first at 21.
"When I think about boxing, personally, I do think about the greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Leonard and people like that," Mason said.
"Right now I feel like I'm moving along in an honest way, everything is kind of original and we've just got to keep improving.
"For as long as I'm in the sport of boxing, one of my goals is to be the best in it. As long as I'm active in the sport of boxing, I want to keep winning, keep improving, keep proving myself to be the best in a sport."
