Middleweights could benefit from an influx of fresh, marketable faces, and Eric Priest is ready to bring his supermodel looks into a glamour division devoid of globally renowned and recognizable stars.

Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) will get another opportunity to prove his promise and potential when he takes on Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) on Thursday at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. The fight will serve as a main event for a Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN, as Oscar De La Hoya will donate 100% of ticket sales to help the local community recover from the recent wildfires that have ravaged the region.

“The middleweight division needs a new star,” Priest told The Ring. “My goal is to win a world title, defend it, and maintain it before the age of 27. Give me a year and a half. I will be in my prime by then. I'm ready to chase my dreams and bring something new to the division. We're ready to sit with Golden Boy and outline the guys that will get me to the title.”

As Gennadiy Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez, and Jermall Charlo exited the weight class in recent years, a slew of 160-pounders have failed to live up to the starpower that their predecessors brought to the division.

Ranked No. 1 by The Ring, Janibek Alimkhanuly is a unified champion and a serious threat to anyone but he doesn’t speak English and has only fought weak opponents. At 42, WBA titleholder and The Ring’s No. 4 ranked contender Erislandy Lara is seemingly on the way out and has fought just five times over the last five years. Then there is WBC champion Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz, who fight each other on February 22 in Saudi Arabia.

Priest, a multiple-time Golden Gloves champion, has experience sparring all of the current middleweight titleholders.

“I've been sparring some of the best fighters in the world, and that's a metric to where we are skillswise right now,” said Priest, who turned pro in 2020.

“My development has been going great. I wish I had more fights, but the pandemic really set everyone back. I made my pro debut right before the pandemic. I feel that I have expedited my career with the fights that I've been taking over the last year and a half ... New levels, new devils. Everything gets harder. I'm ready for my time. I'm ready for all of it.”

Priest is pressing for fights against proven commodities like Liam Smith and Michael Zerafa.

“I have youth, speed, size, and strength. People think I got here with my marketability,” said Priest, a Korean-American with history modeling for Wilhelmina.

“I have a background in modeling for clothing companies like Nike, Adidas, and Jaxxon, which has really worked as a disservice for most of my career. The agents don't like it when I show up to shoots with a black eye. Nobody takes me seriously, but I love proving people wrong. I'm used to it as an Asian kid. I've been whoopin' ass since my amateur days. It's balls to the wall when I’m in the ring. I’m not overlooking anyone. Howard is a tough and sturdy guy that I have to go through, and I plan on doing so.”