Jason Quigley has hinted at a "very exciting" 2017 for his career.
On the undercard of veteran Bernard Hopkins' last fight, the Donegal fighter beat Jorge Melendez in Inglewood, California to make it 12 wins from 12 since turning pro.
The 2013 European middleweight gold medalist managed to win inside three minutes and even surpassed his own expectations.
"Not even myself, I don't think I was expecting that. What can I say? This is boxing. People come out to watch boxing and these are the kind of things that can happen," he told Off The Ball.
"It's a difficult sport and one shot can change everything and I was lucky that one shot went in my favour on Saturday night."
Despite the fight not lasting long, Melendez's aggressive style meant patience was a virtue for Quigley who says he also fought fire with fire in that frantic start as he continues his adaptation after switching to the pro ranks in April 2014 and relocating to the United States.
And with 12 fights under his belt, a bid for a world title is in his sights at some point.
"I've changed my whole lifestyle, I've changed where I live to be out here. Why am I here? I'm here to become world champion. It's not a dream no more. It's a goal of mine," he said, adding that his team takes care of arranging fights to allow him to focus solely on the upcoming bout.
"I will be meeting with Golden Boy [Promotions] or having a phone call now later on today or tomorrow before I go back to Ireland and we'll be making plans. It's going to be a very exciting 2017 from what I've heard so far Team Quigley."
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