In his breakout year, Utria won five fights to claim the WBC Grand Prix. It proved to be the perfect launchpad for what is next.

"Winning the Grand Prix was one of the most important achievements of my career," Utria (14-0, 11 KOs) told The Ring. "It was the result of many years of sacrifice, discipline and hard work.

"That title opened doors for me, gave me international recognition and confirmed that I can compete at the highest level. It also motivated me to keep working because I know I still have a lot to accomplish."

The 22-year-old, who recently signed with PBC, will make the first appearance under their banner when he faces Israel Mercado on the undercard of Rolly Romero-Teofimo Lopez Saturday on Amazon Prime Video and DAZN Pay-Per-View at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

"I am very grateful for this opportunity," he said. "I am incredibly excited and grateful to be fulfilling another one of my big dreams: fighting for the first time in Las Vegas, the boxing capital of the world.

"I am also thrilled to be sharing the fight card with one of my great idols, Teofimo Lopez. I've admired his career for years, and having the chance to fight on the same night inspires me and proves that with faith, hard work, and perseverance, dreams really do come true.

"I see it as an opportunity to continue growing and consolidating myself in professional boxing. I want to keep the momentum that the Grand Prix gave me, keep facing good rivals and show that I'm ready for bigger and bigger challenges. My focus is on continuing to improve fight after fight."

Utria has spent five months in training camp in Mexico where he got to work with recently-minted WBC lightweight champion William Zepeda; and he believes that experience will help him in his upcoming fight.

"Sharing the gym with a boxer of that caliber helped me grow immensely and gave me the confidence of knowing I'm heading into this fight with top-tier preparation," he said. "All that hard work has left me even more motivated and convinced that I am ready to give it my all.

"I'll be facing a formidable opponent in Israel Mercado. I know it will be a huge challenge, but I also know just how hard I've worked to reach this moment."

He racked up air miles with his trips to Saudi Arabia last year, so is relaxed fighting away from home again.

"For me, I'm proud to represent Colombia in another country," he added. "Traveling and fighting away from home is part of professional boxing.

"I am used to taking on challenges and this will be a great experience to continue growing as an athlete and as a person."

This fight is the next step in Utria's evolution and help push him towards the long-term target.

"My goal is to become a world champion and represent Colombia with pride on the most important stages of boxing," he said. "I also want to inspire the young people of my land, especially of Soplaviento, to see that with discipline, faith and perseverance, dreams can be achieved. My goal is to leave a legacy in and out of the ring."