In the aftermath of Oleksandr Usyk's win over Daniel Dubois in July there was the predictable scramble from people to get inside the ring.
Officials, dignitaries, promoters and even -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- Jake Paul, squeezed through the ropes to be the centre of attention.
But of everyone among the crush and the chaos, one had a better reason than most to go face-to-face with the newly re-crowned undisputed heavyweight champion.
Joseph Parker.
"Me next," he said, respectfully, to the Ukrainian, who offered little response.
The official order came from the WBO a few days later: Usyk was to fight their interim champion.
It is widely agreed if anyone has earned their way to fight Usyk, that is, actually winning in the ring, it is Parker. But in reality, the fight was always unlikely. Usyk was injured and requested extra time to recover, leaving Parker frustrated and in limbo.
The New Zealander is on what is widely considered one of, if not the best winning runs in boxing right now and wants to make hay while the sun shines. Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole have all come up against Parker and failed, the latter by a Round 2 knockout in February.
The success reignited Parker's hopes of becoming a two-time heavyweight champion. But with Usyk out, Parker was getting antsy.
Others would have waited; trash talking on social media, having the boxing equivalent of a temper tantrum.
That's not Parker's style.
He is at his best when he is active and got tired of waiting. The result is a clash with the big hitting, unbeaten Fabio Wardley in London on Saturday. A win will put Parker even more in pole position for a fight with Usyk, but he won't be able to relax for a second against Wardley, who KO'd Justis Huni in July when he was down on the cards and heading for defeat.
"I think getting the win definitely puts you more so in that position," Parker told ESPN. "But whether you're going to get it or not, it's another story altogether. The best approach for this fight is to go out there and enjoy myself.
"And when you enjoy yourself, everything flows nicely, it flows better, and you can get the work and the job done."
Parker also makes the point that while governing bodies can order fights and promoters give the big sell; there is one man who calls the shots at heavyweight.
"All these promoters can say 'you know what, whoever wins this fight is next and whoever does this is next,' but they actually have no control," Parker says from experience. "Usyk the one that actually shows that he has control."
And, by if he were to beat Wardley, Parker knows Usyk could have no other option if he wants a fight in the first part of 2026, with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury likely unrealistic options until later in the year.
But it's a big risk.
Not only because it's a dangerous fight, but Parker is walking the last-chance saloon tightrope if he wants to be a two-time world champion. Fortunately for Parker, he has recent experience against big punchers; the aforementioned fighters who rely more on their power than their boxing ability.
But when you're this close to a title, it's not how good you look or how slick you are. You just need to win. Wardley knows that more than most.
Heading for defeat after being largely outboxed by Huni, the Englishman unleashed a big right hand in Round 10. The Australian didn't get up, suffering the same fate as Frazer Clarke, who lasted less than a round in his rematch with Wardley in October 2024.
Wardley's punch left a visible imprint in the side of his Clarke's head.
"I don't profess to be any kind of Usyk ... someone with all the skills. But one thing I do know how to do is win," Wardley said after the Huni fight.
Maybe, but he is yet to share the ring with anyone on the level of Parker.
It makes for an intriguing clash.
It's one that will either cost Parker a shot at Usyk, or leave the Ukrainian little choice but to fight him.