The demand for content and the quest for viral moments contrive to make a modern fight week only slightly less intense than a stay in the Big Brother house.

From the grand arrivals to the first bell on fight night, wall-to wall-coverage grants access to the kind of situations that, for decades, were rarely, if ever, seen.

Fighters are recorded cutting weight, selecting gloves and having their hands wrapped but, for all the that we do see, one of the most critical moments of fight week often happens away from the cameras.

After leaving the dressing room on fight night, a boxer’s team and gym-mates make their way to the ring and, backstage, the fighter is suddenly left alone with their thoughts until a floor manager gives them their cue to enter stage left.

It is the type of unseen, nerve-wracking moment that can unravel weeks, months or years of hard work for any fighter, let alone an 18-year-old heavyweight about to make his eagerly awaited professional debut.

Leo Atang’s career stretches out in front of him but, as he prepared to walk out into the Manchester Arena to fight Milan Paunov last month, he was inspired by a glimpse into his past.

“Before I went out, I had a little look around the corner and I saw all my mates from school, who I’d grown up with,” Atang (1-0, 1 KO) told The Ring.

“I know that they had saved up a lot so that they could get the good tickets right next to the ring walk. I could see them all and then they saw me.

“I stepped back and I was like, 'Wow’. The second I walked out it went mental and that was probably the best feeling of my life.”

If things go the way everybody associated with Atang hopes, he will quickly become public property but just before he introduced himself to the world by stopping Paunov in the opening round, he made the most of his final moments of privacy.

As a fight approaches, most boxers try to adopt a laser-like focus on the task at hand. His attitude will undoubtedly evolve as he moves through his career but, ahead of his debut, Atang decided to take in the moment.

Rather than trying to play down the magnitude of the event or shut out his surroundings, he allowed himself to appreciate how far - and just how quickly - he has come since winning the 2024 World Boxing under-19 Championships.

“I almost did it deliberately, it didn't come natural but it was almost a nice thing,” he said.

“I just thought back. 'Everything I’ve done - not just in this camp - but everything I’ve done and were actually here now.'

“I almost told myself off. 'Why are you putting pressure on yourself? You've earned it, go enjoy yourself now.' And that's almost the mindset I went in with. I feel like the second I actually walked out, I felt like all my nerves just went.

“It is something I do every day. I choose to do it, I'm not getting forced to do it. I haven't got a gun to my head, telling me to do it. I’m in them changing rooms and I'm like, 'Do I really want to do it?' I give myself a little slap after every fight, 'What are you on about? You do this all the time.'

Although it is patently untrue, these days boxing fans are told that every young prospect is a future superstar. Every debutant is taking their first step on a journey that will lead them to multiple world titles.

In an era where trends pass with the swipe of a thumb, it is important to keep potential stars relevant but constant overhyping also sets bars that only a very select few are capable of reaching.

When fans have been told that they are watching a surefire world champion, it is almost inevitable that they come to view messy early fights with gnarled journeyman or hard fought victories over experienced former champions as signs of a fighter’s ceiling rather than solid results and important learning experiences.

Atang has all the raw ingredients to reach the lofty goals some have already set for him. He was a pleasure to speak to as his debut approached and, on the outside, he seemed totally unperturbed by the attention and expectation or comparisons to two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.

Inside, he understood that - in modern boxing at least - you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

“I was telling everyone it wasn’t [on my mind] but it 100 per cent was. I definitely wanted to go in there and impress,” he said.

“I almost had in my head that much pressure. It was like if it wasn't a first-round stoppage, it wasn't a win. That was the sort of mentality I had going in. It’s probably not a healthy mentality to go in with but I'm glad that I still tried to come out as calm and relaxed as much as possible.”

Although the fight lasted less than a round, from ringside it appeared that Atang carried his pre-fight composure into the ring.

“Yeah, I took my time, but the second I'd seen him move a bit, I think I went all out of the window and I went a bit giddy,” he laughed.

As debuts go, Atang’s couldn’t have gone better.

The next chance to assess his progress will come on September 6 when he fights Cristian Uwaka at the Rainton Meadows Arena. The fight will once again be screened by DAZN.

After beating Paunov, he didn’t embark on an extended victory lap or go missing from the gym. He and his trainer, Ashley Martin, congratulated each other on a job well done and got on with the business of improving.

“We were both buzzing about it but we were definitely finding negatives to work on because, obviously, that's what we're here for,” he said.

“We’re not here to be buzzing about the performance. We weren't exactly in with a world beater or anything like that so we've got a lot of work to do and there's a lot more to show and give.”