But despite beating Zorro, the former world title challenger, via unanimous decision, the fight would usher in a year of inactivity as Junior (11-1, 9 KOs) decided to take a step away from the sport.

He will make his return to the ring on August 29 at London’s O2 Arena in a 10-round clash against the experienced Mike Perez on the undercard of the bill topped by the world heavyweight title showdown between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic. Now Junior has explained his reasoning for putting his career on pause, despite the absence of any obvious injury.

“I would say over the last year I started to understand myself more,” he tells The Ring.

“I’ve taken care of my personal life a lot more attentively. I feel like boxing is a sport where, when you're fighting, life doesn't stop. But it's one of those things where life kind of has to stop because you're fighting. You can't really take in your friends, your family, your social life or relationships.

“So I made a conscious decision to go back to real life for a moment. I was dealing with personal issues, which caused me to step away. It has been incredibly insightful and allowed me to tap in deeper and become a better version of myself.”

Even though “The Animal," full name Aloys Youmbi, decided to take a break from the professional code, that did not stop him from training under coach Ben Davison as normal.

“I've always been in the gym,” he adds. “I never stay out of the gym. In fact I came in every single day but obviously my mind was pretty bad.

“It's like, am I mentally ready? Am I mentally here to fight? I will never step in the ring if I'm not ready to fight.”

But now the 23-year-old has decided that the time is right to get back into business following a pre-season training camp in Marbella with Davison and the rest of the stable.

Before his hiatus, Junior had been on course for a crack at the British title held by Viddal Riley but things have moved on in his absence. Riley has been mandated to fight David Nyika for the vacant IBF title while the Lonsdale belt he relinquished will be on the line when John Hedges takes on Pat Brown in Manchester on September 19.

But none of that is of major concern for Junior, who is focused solely on 40-year-old Perez (32-3-1, 22 KOs) for now. “The break has made me even more excited to fight again,” he says. “I can't wait to get back in there. I actually can't wait to get under the bright lights. When I’m not actually fighting, I’m learning about fighting all the time. Again, it's my passion and I'm tapped in and back in flow state. “I’m fully focused on this fight and then I'm looking at whatever is possible. If it's the British title, it's British. If it's European, it's European. If it's the world title, it's the world. It really comes down to what presents itself.” Since defeat on his professional debut, as a late stand-in against Michal Soczynski in November 2021, Junior had been steadily forging a reputation as one of the division’s most destructive punchers.

Of his next 10 opponents, only undefeated Oronzo Birardi managed to extend him beyond four rounds but Zorro gave him plenty to think about over the course of their 10-round clash, which came after an ill-tempered build-up.

But there were few fireworks once they got to work in Bournemouth, with the big-punching Londoner largely neutralized by Zorro. Junior, however, took much from the outing. “I learned so much from that fight,” he says. “And I've gained so much from that fight.

“As you grow older, you start to understand more about yourself and more about the rules of life, as they say. I'm getting there. And when it comes to taking some time out, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks.

“At the end of the day, it's me getting punched in the head, that's how I look at it but now it’s time to come back.”