If you can face hard-nosed professional fighters, you can face facts.
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Troy O' Meley looks back on his last fight loss - the only blemish of his professional career - to Gunnedah's Wade Ryan, and knows he got it wrong in the lead up.
"I should have taken a couple of days off just before the fight to freshen up, but I didn't," he said.
"I went in a little overdone and it resulted in me not putting my best foot forward.
"I knew better, but I'm so desperate to be the best fighter I can be that I just kept training. But I won't make that mistake again.
"It was a good tough fight and there wasn't much in it. But I know I can fight a lot better than that."
It's history now that O'Meley was beaten on a split points decision in what everyone hailed as a cracking fight to Ryan, who walked away with O'Meley's Australian Super Welterweight title as well as the vacant IBO International Super Welterweight belt in December.
The Cessnock fighter wants them back and has his sights firmly on a rematch, which he has been promised.
But first, he has to "take care of business" later this month when he meets Canberra fighter Lee 'Hard As' Fook on February 27.
It's part of two top nights of boxing Under the Dome at East Cessnock Bowling Club, with veteran Sakio Bika fighting on the card the night before.
O'Meley doesn't know a lot about his opponent, but knows if he wants to achieve his goal of becoming a world champion, it's not a fight he can lose.
"He's coming across from kick boxing where he's pretty experienced," O'Meley said.
"I'm told he's pretty calm and collected in the ring which means he's probably had a lot of fights."
Fook has been fighting in Muay Thai since 2009 - 12 years - so certainly has fight experience.
A quick look at his highlights show that he's tough, fit and fast.
As part of his preparation O'Meley has been travelling to Sydney to spar with some of Jeff Fenech's fighters.
"That's been really good, and Jeff has run the eye over me and is giving me regular tips," O'Meley said.
"He's in regular contact with my dad, so that's something that has been really helpful."
At 28, O'Meley said his best years are still ahead of him and that a world title is still the goal.
"And to be the best boxer I can possibly be," he said.
"I would say I'm hitting my best years now.
"With sports science and now greater knowledge about training and nutrition, fighters tend to go on for a bit longer these days.
"I would like go on until I'm 35 or 36, and think with the experience I have now, the best is certainly ahead of me."
But it starts with a certain Mr Fook later this month. And then there's unfinished business with Wade Ryan.