Rising South African junior middleweight Shervantaigh Koopman is looking to step out of the shadow in the talent-laden division.

He will have an opportunity to advance his claim when he takes on upset-minded Uisma Lima at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, on Saturday in what he hopes is a breakout year for him.

"He's a good fighter, he's a pressure fighter," Koopman told The Ring. "I'm the [IBO] challenger, so I've got to bring everything I've got to make it a fight."

The 31-year-old beat the tough Wendy Toussaint (UD 10) and Brandon Cook (TKO 5) last year in step-up fights.

"I feel those type of fights were needed," he said. "It was my first International fight, just to test myself on that level was interesting and exciting for me.

"Also, for a lot of fans, who had questions: 'Is he ready for those guys?' In my last fight with Brandon Cook, I proved I am worth it."

Although he stopped Cook, Koopman had to battle through some adversity before coming firing back to win.

"If you look at the fight, I have been down twice, I picked myself up and get my head in the game and it all happened in the first round, and I came back and dropped him in the first round," he said of the wild encounter. "It shows what I am made of. I feel like they were flash knockdowns. I was able to recover much quicker. I was all the way there, still in the fight. It shows my fitness level and ability to take those type of shots and bounce back from them.

"I feel the referee did a good job, stopping the fight because he was actually very hurt in that fight. It was a good call by the ref. In that fight there was a lot of action, there was a little bit of everything. Now moving on to better things."

Koopman, who started boxing at 14 through his father, had an on-and-off amateur career with about 45 fights and won a national title in 2017 before turning professional the following year.

His career has been a slow burn but has picked up over the past year, though not to the point where he can fully focus on boxing.

"I am also a personal trainer. I train people in boxing and train myself," he said. "I know about nutrition, that's why I never have any weight problems. I always come in in shape. It's a lifestyle. I'm at the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy, in Edenvale. That's where I train."

For the moment he intends to keep plugging away and wait for his shot.

"Thats the plan, and doors will open," he said. "There's a lot of top fighters that I would love to fight. I feel like I am two or three fights away. All the guys in the top 10 in the junior middleweight division would be good for me to fight."

Koopman's promoter, Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves, believes this will be a coming-out party for one of the prize fighters in his stable.

"Koopman is the best-kept secret in the junior middleweight division," said Berman. "He will be unleashed on May 31."

Lima (13-1, 9 KOs) turned professional at 26 in 2019. The Angola-born boxer won his first 10 fights before tasting defeat for the first time against unbeaten Aaron McKenna (UD 10) in the UK.

The 32-year-old has bounced back with a vengeance beating Araik Marutjan (UD 8) and then-unbeaten pair Haro Matevosyan (RTD 10) and Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti (UD 12). What made all three wins even more impressive was that he fought in his opponents' home countries. He won't be overawed traveling to South Africa.

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk and you can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght