Anyone can look good in the gym. It’s what happens when everything is live and moving at a hundred miles an hour with people watching that proves whether someone can make a career for themselves in the boxing ring.

Abdullah Darkazanly looked good in the gym. Then his first amateur fight was against an opponent with 85 bouts under his belt.

“I won against him,” said Darkazanly. “So I liked it.”

And here he is, 24 years old, 1-0 as a professional and about to compete in Las Vegas, the center of the boxing universe this week, as fans and media from around the world roll in for Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford event. And while the middleweight prospect from Riyadh won’t be fighting in front of 60,000 fans at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Wednesday at the Bleaulive Theater against Kody Koboski isn’t a bad alternate plan. And truth be told, Darkazanly would be happy fighting in an empty warehouse against anybody as long as he gets to throw his hands. But Vegas in late summer on a big fight week is cool, too.

“It’s like a dream for me,” he said. “To fight in Vegas, it's a very big spot for me and it's a big honor for me.”

Darkazanly got a home game for his pro debut last December, a four-round shutout win over Jose Aguirre in Riyadh, a location which is starting to produce a host of fighters to watch. And while everyone looks at the big fights presented by Turki Alalshikh, it’s in the trenches in the Saudi gyms where the next generation is being born.

“I find it really, really good because it's only like two years since we started in Saudi at the Mike Tyson Gym,” he said. “And look, now we have people who can compete with the best in the world. I started at the gym one-and-a-half years ago and they pushed me really hard every day, morning and evening. Where I was before, it was really hard to find good sparring. But now, I spar against very good people, and we have also the best coaches in the world. So I think if it continues like this, you're going to see some world champions.”

Of course, time will tell on the world championship front, but Darkazanly showed significant promise against a more experienced foe, and in a post-fight interview on YouTube with BoxingKingMedia, he talked of taking elements from several top boxers to implement into his own style, including Floyd Mayweather’s jab and the left hook from Alvarez, who he sparred against four times.

So did he try that left hook on the man himself?

“I tried it with him,” Darkazanly laughs. “He tried to start it with me and then I tried with him, and I told him about the video after my first pro fight where I mentioned him. He told me that when I fight for the title, he is going to come to see my fight.”

That’s some good company to keep, and Darkazanly appears to be embracing this time in his life, and why not? But, as far as the future goes, he’s playing it smart and focusing on one fight at a time.

“We don’t rush,” he said. “The main process is to go step by step and to do this properly, but, like I told you, I'm sure I’m going to be a world champion one day.”

And on Wednesday?

“I don't like to talk a lot before the fight,” said Darkazanly. “But I do my best. I think I'm in very good shape and you're going to see, Inshallah, very good skill from me.”