Fighting in the shadows has its advantages. For starters, the absence of fanfare usually eliminates distractions. Secondly, it allows fighters to sneak up on the competition.

Slawa Spomer was just fine with operating in the dark but he believes he’s ready to shine brightly this Friday night.

At the Theater in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Spomer will make his United States debut when he takes on highly ranked junior middleweight contender, Xander Zayas.

Fighting in his homeland of Germany was comforting but getting out of his comfort zone was something he needed. Now, with the biggest fight of his life coming up, Spomer is anxious to show what he's got.

“I want to show that I belong on top,” said Spomer during the final press conference.

Zayas, 22, is bringing an undefeated record with him to the ring and a ridiculous amount of confidence. But while a flawless opponent might be intimidating to some, Spomer is used to it.

On three separate occasions, the 32-year-old stripped undefeated fighters of their perfect records. Zayas now, from his point of view, will suffer the same fate.

There’s a certain hubris-laced personality that Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) walks around with. If you heard him talk in public, his booming voice would immediately grab your attention. Once you observed him fight, that level of attention would remain.

It isn’t that Spomer isn’t thankful for those taking notice but he still believes that he needs to do more. For the entirety of his career, the goal of the German native has remained the same, become a world champion and fight the best of the best. He isn't quite on the verge of getting a title shot but in terms of fighting top-level competition, he’s just a few days away from doing just that.

“Xander is a top boxer. You have to fight the best fighters in the world.”