David Nyika is fresh off the plane from Poland, after winning bronze at the Feliks Stamm Memorial, an International Boxing Association (IBA) world ranking tournament.
Nyika says he is racing against time in a late bid for a place in the NZ Commonwealth Games boxing team.
He lives in Hamilton but travels to Auckland to spar with many of the country's professional boxers to prepare for fights and handles himself with ease, says trainer Rik Ellis of Ringside Gym.
Nyika looks to fight the No.2 light-heavyweight in New Plymouth, then hoping to fight No.1 in May at the Golden Gloves in Taupō.