Three months later, it certainly has but perhaps not what it could have been.

In line to face WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz, that opportunity eventually went to the man he beat in his last fight.

"It's out of my control that [Simon] Zachenhuber is fighting for the world title and I beat him three months ago," August (18-0, 7 KOs) told The Ring.

"It's a bit unfair but that's how boxing works, that's politics in the sport. I just have to keep going and winning," the Polish-born contender insisted.

Instead, the 31-year-old will face talented Danish contender Jacob Bank on Saturday over eight rounds at a 170-pound catchweight on the Joshua-Prenga undercard at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"It's a good fight, he's very good and very high in the rankings," he remarked. "He's gonna be a completely different fighter from Zachenhuber, gonna be slicker, he drops his hands down and could be harder to hit."

Elsewhere, he expects Sheeraz to make a comfortable first defense of his title against Zachenhuber.

"Hamzah is a world-class fighter, I think he will win and a stoppage too. I don't know if it's going to be early but definitely within the middle-to-late rounds."

August's career had been a slow burn until very recently. The decade-long pro had been fighting on small hall shows in the south of England near Taunton where he lives, under the watchful eye of trainer Dean Lewis.

As well as working a day job for a transportation company, he's had to rely on his sponsors to help make ends meet. At two weeks' notice, he stepped in to defeat Zachenhuber and naturally knew more opportunities were forthcoming.

"It has finally opened up the doors," he said. "I fought on a small hall show in February, hoping for that big fight to come which it did in April. I'm back on the Anthony Joshua show in Saudi, it's a good experience and good exposure.

"If I win this one there's definitely going to be a world title fight and a well deserved one as well."

Bank (19-0, 11 KOs), The Ring's No. 8 super middleweight, turned professional in September 2020. He worked his way up at home in Denmark while claiming various WBO regional titles along the way.

The 25-year-old holds wins over previously-unbeaten trio Ralfs Vilcans (UD10), Ibo Maier (RTD4), Damian Biacho (UD10). He stopped veteran Tyron Zeuge (TKO5) but really caught the eye with the manner he picked apart former IBF titleholder William Scull on January 31, stopping him in the final round.

He returned three months later with a fifth-round finish of Paulinus Ndjolonimu and believes a world championship challenge is inevitable.