He did it the hard way tonight, did Joseph Parker.
After 12 rounds and the toughest test of his career, the New Zealand heavyweight Parker has a guaranteed world title shot after a unanimous points decision over Carlos Takam.
At the end of it all in Manukau, with referee Wes Melton holding aloft his hand, Parker allowed himself a smile and hugged his trainer Kevin Barry. He will now fight for the IBF title currently held by Englishman Anthony Joshua. He deserves it for he had to work extremely hard for it.
A fight which began relatively cagily - as it should with so much at stake - caught fire in the fifth round, with the 24-year-old Parker wobbled and in trouble. Takam, the 35-year-old with a granite chin and relentless attitude, hurt the home-town favourite and had him in the corner ready to land the knockout blow.
Parker slipped away, and in his haste to finish it, Takam leapt in with a wild swing and slipped, giving Parker time to compose himself.
Parker punished Takam in the eighth round, a spectacular round in which Parker almost punched himself out. He must have thrown 20 punches. Takam was wobbled, but stayed on his feet and even finished the round by throwing some himself.
Ahead on points, all Parker had to do was stay smart and keep his distance. He was tired in the ninth, a round probably won by Takam, but Parker returned in the 10th with his jab snapping again and from then it was virtually all over.
"What can I say. I'm excited, very excited. I'd like to thank God for the victory. I worked very hard to prepare for this fight," Parker said.
"Hats off to him, I had to bring my A game."
Parker landed punch after punch on Takam, a defensively smart fighter who didn't appear hurt at all, even when stunned in the eighth round. He connected himself, particuarly in the fifth, a testament to Parker's toughness and fitness.
There were questions in some quarters about Parker's ability to take a punch. They are answered now, although the way he left his guard down at times alarmed his many supporters at the Vodafone Events Centre.
Home town advantage comes with its privileges, and Parker kept Takam waiting for an age before he took the ring during which the crowd was played a video montage to Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight, which was stopped only by a cameo from All Blacks and Crusaders fullback Israel Dagg knocking on Parker's dressing room door and joining his very large entourage. He then began his walk to the ring and the fight started a tick before 11pm after three national anthems - the French, New Zealand and Samoan in recognition of Parker's heritage.
There was pressure on Parker but also Takam, who at his age was fighting in the last chance saloon. However, on this evidence, he has a few rounds left in him yet, not that he will necessarily find anyone good enough to fight him.
He was promised as a tough, cagey man, knocked out only once in his career, and that was against Alexander Povetkin in 2014. This was only his third loss.
Parker goes to 19 wins and will fight probably twice more - and probably in New Zealand - before he fights for the title. That is likely to be in London against reigning champion Joshua. This win will make waves around the world. Parker said it was his time, and he proved it.
He did it the hard way, but it was a deserved victory, another step on the way to a likely long and successful career.
