"I'm f—–g back."
That was Tim Tszyu's emphatic response to his unanimous decision victory over Anthony Velazquez on Wednesday night.
And that he is – to a certain point.
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Tszyu said after the fight he didn't want to finish his opponent – rather he wanted the ring time and to sharpen his skills.
Long-time rival Michael Zerafa wasn't buying it in commentary, saying Tszyu couldn't finish his opponent and wouldn't survive in his division.
Yet there might be some weight behind Tszyu's claim.
Tszyu's last three fights before Wednesday did not go the distance against Fundora (7), Spencer (4) and Murtazaliev (3).
Tszyu's new matchmaker, Mike Altamura, did his homework and the Sydney fighter selected the right opponent for this particular part of his journey.
The performance was dominant and it was supposed to be, despite rival trainer Hector Bermudez's irrational confidence leading into the fight.
He said Tszyu changing teams ahead of a contest against the American was bad news because Velazquez is a "puncher".
But there wasn't much punching from Velazquez at the old Sydney Entertainment Centre on Wednesday and that was purely by design.
Tszyu needed to get back into the ring and feel like a winner again and pick up the pieces of his once promising career.
It's unrealistic to expect Tszyu to implement changes just weeks into the tutelage of new trainer Pedro Diaz, who was in camp with Noel Mikaelian for his WBC cruiserweight title win when Tszyu approached him.
The biggest thing for the former world champion was to regain confidence and feel in command of the ring again. Getting to know Diaz and how he operates on fight night was also an experience he needed.
There were questions over Tszyu's willingness to compete before the turn of the year.
Thanks to mindful matchmaking, going against Velazquez was not much of a risk at all.
He seized the chance to rid his mind and body of his last experience against Fundora and start anew, but how Tszyu approaches his next fight will be crucial.
To survive and thrive in professional boxing, all fighters must be acutely aware of their own weaknesses.
Tszyu's biggest flaw is his lack of head movement and defence.
While he was rarely put in a position of danger to test his defensive capabilities, Tszyu threw his punches the same way he always has against Velazquez, without shifting the position of his head in readiness for a counter shot.
There are reports Tszyu could face off against the winner of WBO champion Xander Zayas and WBA belt holder Abass Baraou, who clash in January.
No Limit have also expressed a willingness to work with the NRL to have Tszyu's next fight in Las Vegas to coincide with the code's opening round sojourn in February.
There's also a school of thought that the Aussie will stay at home over Christmas and then return to Miami for a comprehensive training camp with Diaz, before hitting the ring twice in Australia.
If he comes out the other side unscathed, then his team would look for a title shot.
At 31, Tszyu is heading into his peak years in terms of strength, although, he must tread carefully if he wants to set himself up for shot at a belt in 12-18 months time.
Jumping at the big fights too early could be fatal for his career.
"We'll wait and see when he has to move up to that level again and see what advice he gets," Jeff Fenech told Wide World of Sports.
"I know he's got a new trainer and he's all excited and stuff like that, but there were things that he needed to change.
"He needed somebody that's not just going to train him, it's going to sit him down and tell him this is what you've done right, this is what you've done wrong, let's fix it.
"I'm not sure what the guy's done."
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