Even though he is coming off a loss, Brazil’s Robson Conceição knows that he will have a lot of new fans watching him on Saturday night. And he hopes to make a lot more of them.

But clearly, business is first.

“Certainly! Winning more fans is always great,” said Conceição in a phone interview on Tuesday. “But I don’t only want to win more fans, I also want to earn a new opportunity to fight for a world title.”

Conceição’s only loss came against Oscar Valdez on September 2021 in a fight that most observers saw Conceição win, and now he will have to make his case for a new chance starting this Saturday night in a 10-round junior lightweight main event against Xavier Martinez from the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, live on ESPN & ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

The 24-year-old Martinez (17-0, 11 knockouts) is ranked No. 9 by The Ring while the 33-year-old Conceição is right behind him at the bottom of the top ten, but things can change dramatically if he manages to defeat Martinez as decisively as he expects.

“He is a strong foe, he is fast and has a lot of experience,” said Conceição, (16-1, 8 KOs), a former Olympic lightweight gold medalist who began his pro career in 2016. “But I have been preparing for this level of opponent, or even better, and to defeat them. And that’s what will happen on the 29^th.”

An Olympic medal is usually a great springboard towards greater achievements, but for Conceição it almost became the only goal of his career. He failed to win medals in his first two Olympic appearances (2008 and 2012) and instead of jumping to the pros he committed himself even further to his dream, eventually enrolling in the Brazilian Navy in order to gain support as an athlete while he waited for his next chance. And then in 2016, he finally grabbed that gold medal – and in front of his own people to boot, in Rio de Janeiro.

“I went through three Olympic games. In the first two I had a dream of participating in the Olympics, and I made it. I could have settled for that, but I set my goal to become an Olympic champion. And that’s what happened, I fulfilled my goal to become an Olympic champion. And now in professional boxing I have the same idea, it is a goal of mine to have a world title belt, and for that I am dedicating myself to get that belt as soon as possible.”

Among the many differences between Olympic-style boxing (in which he ended his career with an alleged 405-15 record) and professional boxing, the way in which one gains access to greater challenges (almost guaranteed with each victory in the amateurs) could prove to be the biggest one for Conceição going forward, with most potential foes in the 130-pound region having second thoughts on risking their record against a 33-year-old with spectacular boxing skills.

Oscar Valdez (right) battles Robson Conceição. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

“You have to be patient and wait for an opportunity,” said Conceição. “I did my best to earn those opportunities and now I hope to have a new one soon. I am a very determined athlete. I know where I want to go and what I have to do to.”

He did what he had to do against Valdez, but the result was clearly not as expected. And yet, Conceição refuses to dwell on that frustrating experience while he clearly states that he has learned a lot from it.

“I knew what happened in that fight, and I knew I had won, so I never allowed that the situation to discourage me. On the contrary, I feel much more motivated and ready to give a great fight on the 29^th.”

Nevertheless, Valdez still remains in his crosshairs.

“I expect to have one more fight with him. I want do demonstrate that I won the first fight, and that I will win the second one as well. In fact, it will be our third, since I already beat him up in the amateurs.”

If Valdez evades him, Conceição feels he’s up for even bigger game.

“It could be any of the other champions. I feel ready to fight against the best, and if it’s not Valdez I hope it is against Shakur Stevenson or whoever is out there.”

While there are no mandatory spots or other implied commitments at stake in his next fight, Conceição knows that the caliber of his opponent will almost guarantee the winner a title shot in the near future. The quality of his performance, therefore, is just as important as the result that he aims for.

“Each fight is a different approach with a new opponent and you have to train hard to the fullest, physically and technically. And that’s how on Saturday you will see a great fight and a great job on my side. Martinez has experience and he is fast, but I believe I am always strong and I always want to face the best.”