The unbeaten Cuban contender is a 12-1 favorite according to DraftKings, but Gausha hasn’t been knocked out during his 13-year professional career. The 2012 U.S. Olympian from Cleveland has lost 12-round unanimous decisions to two reigning 160-pound champions, Erislandy Lara and Carlos Adames, former WBO junior middleweight champ Tim Tszyu and longtime 154-pound contender Erickson Lubin.

Hernandez realizes that stopping even this 38-year-old version of Gausha, who will end a one-year layoff, would make the type of statement the emerging puncher needs as he attempts to create demand for a title fight later this year.

“I’m gonna just show the world that ‘Yo-Yo The Devil’ is here to stay and I’m gonna prevail,” Hernandez said during a virtual press conference recently. “I’m gonna win in style. Social media then is gonna be on fire and you’re gonna see that Yoenli is here to stay for a long, long time. So, the division better be aware, because I’m coming.”

The 28-year-old Hernandez (9-0, 8 KOs) and Gausha (24-5-1, 12 KOs) will on the Prime Video Pay-Per-View portion of the Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman undercard two weeks from Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“I don’t care about who’s standing in my way,” Hernandez said. “I’m gonna go out there and I’m gonna demolish everybody that’s in my way because I’m the champion, I want the throne and whoever tries to dethrone me after that, it’s gonna be someone that I just have to take out of my way.”

Hernandez is ranked second among The Ring’s middleweight contenders for a vacant championship. Only Adames is ranked ahead of him.

The Dominican Republic’s Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) will defend his WBC belt against Austin “Ammo” Williams (20-1, 13 KOs), who is ranked eighth by The Ring, in a DAZN main event March 21 at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. Hernandez is also the No. 2 contender for Adames’ championship and would gladly challenge the Adames-Williams winner next.

“I’m up to fight absolutely anybody,” Hernandez said. “Bring on all the champions, because the goal is to show that I’m number one in the division.”