Tapu Opetaia raises his hand and hovers his thumb a millimetre from his pointer finger.
"We're this close, we're right there," the trainer tells AAP of his son and student Jai.
It's been 13 years since Opetaia's controversial and historic Olympic debut came just weeks after his 17th birthday.
The world champion is now 30, a father and 28-0 after a decade of professional destruction.
He first won his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight belts more than three years ago.
Australia's only current male world boxing champion will defend his titles on Saturday at the Gold Coast Convention Centre for the third time this year.
Unbeaten German powerhouse Huseyin Cinkara, the latest mandatory challenger, has arrived from his Istanbul base talking a big game that belies his long odds.
The Tasman Fighters card will be the first of a landmark new three-fight, pay-per-view deal with Stan Sport and has been hailed as the deepest ever assembled in Australian boxing history.
What happens for Opetaia next is the big question though, with the Central Coast talent demanding unification fights against fellow champions that have so-far avoided him.
"Once you get to this sort of level it's harder to stay there," Tapu said ahead of what will be his son's eighth appearance since defying a badly broken jaw to beat Mairis Briedis and claim the belts.
"Look at the past world champions we've had; three months and they lose it. We've had it for three years now.
"We're just looking for more opportunities, but can only take what's given to us and have to stay patient ... the boxing politics, it's bullshit but you do what you need to do."
If Opetaia wins, his long-time promoter Mick Francis intends to fly direct to Los Angeles and confront the winner of next Saturday's WBC title fight between champion Badou Jack and challenger Noel Mikaelian.
Mexican two-division world champion Gilberto Ramirez owns the two other cruiserweight titles, but has gone to great lengths avoiding Opetaia and will fight American star David Benavidez next May instead.
At the London 2012 Games, Opetaia overcame a pre-Olympic rift with the Australian coaches who banned him from a fight camp after he'd left the squad to mourn the death of his godfather.
Tapu took his son, who was 16 when he'd qualified, to the Las Vegas gym of American superstar Floyd Mayweather to prepare and then convinced officials to include him in the London team as the country's youngest-ever boxer.
Opetaia was devastated by a one-point loss to the eventual bronze medallist and those same Australian coaches were scathing of the officials during an event marred by subjective judging.
Oleksandr Usyk won gold in London and since unified the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, just like Opetaia plans to.
Francis, only half-jokingly, said this week the straight-talking champion would accept a "Mars Bar and Coke" as payment to lock in a unification bout.
Opetaia stressed he wouldn't be rushed into a move to heavyweight before ticking those boxes.
"I'm used to the pay cuts," he said.
"These boys on the undercard don't understand ... they're 9-0 and getting paid. I was 19-0 before I got my first pay cheque.
"That unification ... we're very, very close and a lot of people are always putting in their two cents, saying, 'Do this, do that'.
"Shut up. This ain't their journey.
"I've sacrified so much to get here and now I've got to rush it?
"What about the times driving home from sparring, broke, thinking, 'is this worth it?'
"Please. We're ready to ride this out and call ourselves undisputed soon."
