Boxing: Wade Ryan to take on Sergei Vorobev for IBF gold on Sunday

Throughout his 32 professional bouts, Ryan has traded leather with the likes of Tim Tszyu, Michael Zerafa, and Dennis Hogan.

And this weekend, he will add the highly-touted Sergei Vorobev to that list.

The 28-year-old Russian boasts a record of 19-1 with 13 finishes. Though he acknowledged the threat the younger man poses, Ryan's coach Dave Syphers is unfazed.

"He's very good, 30^th in the world I think," Syphers said.

"He's experienced, he had a lot of amateur fights over in Russia. He's pretty handy, it's going to be a tough fight and it's on a big show."

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Ryan and Vorobev will vie for the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Super Welterweight title, with the possibility of another title in the mix come fight day on Sunday. The contest feature on the undercard of Tzsyu's world title bout against Brian Mendoza on the Gold Coast.

At 33 years old, Ryan has compiled a career which has been characterized by his iron will, granite chin, and propensity for wars.

Two-thirds of his 21 wins have come by decision, and only once has he been stopped - in his first professional loss, against Aaron Lai in 2013.

But all these years later, Ryan still hungers for a contest and carries dreams of a world title, which Syphers said has been reflected in his training.

"The prep's been good, we've been doing some really good sparring down in Sydney," he said.

"Wade's probably the best he's ever been at the moment. We need to take this into the fight."

His most recent outing resulted in a TKO win over Jay Ar Inson in March, which was a spectacular return to form coming off consecutive decision losses.

Now, Syphers said, Ryan is "feeling strong" and eager for his first shot at gold since 2021 - but having a strap on the line will not daunt the veteran.

"He's won a lot of titles, and to me it's just another day at the office," he said.

"Hopefully we can get the win up."

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