Australia's boxer of the year Jeff Horn is hoping 2016 will take him to the threshold of a world title shot, as he prepares for a long overdue return to local rings.
The classy world ranked welterweight took out fighter of the year at the Aus-Boxing.com awards following a 2015 campaign that started slowly due to injury and picked up speed.
A hand injury prevented the 27-year old Brisbane boxer from fighting from mid-December 2014 to June 2015.
He quickly made up for lost time, winning four successive bouts in the final six and a half months of the year against opponents with an impressive combined record of 88 wins, eight losses and two draws.
The 2012 London Olympic quarter-finalist advanced his professional record to 13-0-1 (8 KOs).
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He is ranked seventh by the WBO, eighth by the IBF and 12th by the WBA.
"It's been a good year," Horn told AAP.
"It's good to get the rounds under the belt. It's extra experience and knowing what it feels like when you get tired and you've got to push through and keep going against a guy that's fit and strong."
Horn's career is being directed by Duco Promotions, a company based in New Zealand, where he has had his past six fights.
He hasn't fought in Australia since March 2014 but said he was scheduled to return to a local ring in March next year.
Horn is set to headline cards in Australian cities which will be shown live on Fox Sports.
More wins and a consequent rise in rankings will likely put him within touching distance of a world title shot by the end of this year.
"There's possibilities of a world title eliminator I've been told about," Horn said.
"So if I can get a shot sometime next year or a guaranteed position for a world title fight or fight for a world title, I'd be ecstatic about that."
