The moment is here: Portsmouth’s own out to make IBO world title dream reality live on Sky Sports

And the Pompey Problem promised to use his Sky Sports-televised welterweight showdown with South African dangerman Tulani Mbenge, to propel his career and the city into the spotlight.

McKinson returns to action in London tomorrow night looking to make a big statement at the Copper Box Arena, against a highly-ranked opponent who brings serious threat to the table. 

The former Moneyfields amateur went nose to nose with Mbenge at a spicy weigh-in today, with both scaling inside the 10st 7lb welterweight limit.

Now McKinson is ready for his moment as he fights for a strap which exists outside of the four premier world titles, but can open doors for the 30-year-old.

He said: ‘This is the biggest title anyone from Portsmouth has ever fought for.

‘Going to America was great for me and my career, but I had nothing to lose against Vergil Ortiz Jr.

‘Now I’m 10 years into my career fighting my toughest opponent, apart from Ortiz, for a title .

‘People could say Ortiz was bigger, but I wasn’t fighting for a bigger title.

‘People like Anthony Joshua, Naseem Hamed, Gennady Golovkin, Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev had the title, or currently have the title.

‘I’ve done a lot in boxing but I’ve had to fight for my opportunities, so for me this is big - it will catapult my career forward.

‘I’ve been ready all through the summer but the fight kept being delayed. It’s been a long year but the moment is here for me to prove I’m a world-level fighter.

‘The only time I’ve boxed at world level was against Ortiz. Since then I’ve been beating people but they’ve been at much lower levels.

‘So this is the moment and the type of fight I’ve been screaming for - it can really push me back to elite level. Big things can happen from this and some great things can come from a win.

‘I know I’m representing Portsmouth and I’ve had my Pompey shirt on, as I always do. There’s a lot going on with boxing in the city and we’ve had a lot of success - I want to keep leading the way.

‘I’m in my prime and there’s too much at stake for me to fold - I’m ready.’

McKinson’s had impeccable preparations for the contest after travelling to New York and Philadelphia for sparring, where he shared the ring with rising pound-for-pound star Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and former world super-welterweight champion Julian Williams.

But the Pompey boy knows that being razor sharp on the night will be necessary against a foe whose 20-2 record stands up to inspection.

McKinson added: ‘I’ve had complete world class preparations for this, so there’s no ifs, buts or maybes: I’m here to make a statement

‘My opponent’s had two losses and, having watched those fights, they weren’t losses - they were split-decision losses in the opponent’s home country

‘He lost in Germany in a fight I thought he won and lost to the WBC number one in Paris - and he was robbed in that one. He’s rangy, can punch and he’s ranked higher than me in the rankings - there’s a reason for that.

‘I’ve heard his team are confident but it’s about what I bring - I’m the puzzle he needs to solve.’