In September 2023, Thompson (15-2, 12 KOs) leapt several levels and was stopped in the fourth round a challenge for Jai Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title.

He never got the chance to show what he learned from the experience. Instead, he found himself consigned to the sidelines for two years.

Thompson made the most of his time away from the ring. He left the cruiserweight division behind and allowed his 6-foot-7 frame to naturally fill out. He spent the time training, eating, lifting weights and sharing the ring with some of the world’s top heavyweights without having to obsess over the scales.

In November, Thompson, 32, ended his hiatus by traveling to Orlando to take on undefeated Cuban Lenier Pero (13-0, 8 KOs). He lost a 10-round decision to the former amateur star but looked every inch a natural heavyweight and got better the longer the fight went on.

Thompson didn’t go there looking for reassurance that he has what it takes to succeed — that belief was built during his time away from the spotlight — but he is relieved and happy to be back in the mix.

“I get asked the question, “What's the thing that you enjoy most about boxing?” and I'll be real, and this is something that has grown into me in the latter part of my career: The thing I love most about boxing is how much you learn about yourself,” Thompson told The Ring.

“That's what I'm enjoying. That’s what I'm captivated by. That’s what I'm intrigued by. There’s always going to be questions. There's always going to be hurdles and barriers that you've got to overcome and get through.You've constantly got little questions of yourself and you're constantly having to answer them.

“I've got to keep it moving. I’ve got to keep going. I'm not a quitter and I ain't stopping. I ain't turning around.

“The boxing game has taught me stuff about myself which I wouldn't have been able to discover through any other different walk of life.”

Thompson can find plenty of positives in the way he performed and came through Pero’s best shots, but he is a winner and wouldn’t dream of describing it as a moral victory. What it did do is set him up for an assault on the British heavyweight division.

Moving to heavyweight means Thompson can finally utilize his undoubted athletic ability without having to worry about sacrificing his endurance or punch resistance, and he enters the second half of his career as a more seasoned fighter.

Outside of the leading lights, the British ranks are filled with faded champions or fighters who have just as much to prove as Thompson, and he has no qualms about getting into the ring with any of them.

“No, no chance,” he said.

“I've said that from even when I was making the decision to finally go with the heavyweight thing. I believe in my ability. I know my potential, I know what I'm destined for and I don't see anyone by any means of imagination being a problem knowing what I've been blessed with. It’s just about going out there and expressing it when the opportunity presents itself.

“It’s all well and good saying it, believing it and knowing it, but doing it, that’s a different ballgame. That’s where I've got to hold up my end of the bargain and just hope that my team come through with the right fights at the right time for the right money because boxing’s a business.”