The amount of time spent by Simpiwe Konkco to take in a breath of fresh air upon arrival was as long as he needed to acclimate himself to his new surroundings.

Awaiting the 32-year old contender is a shot at long-reigning strawweight titlist Wanheng Menayothin (53-0, 18KOs) this Friday on the road in Chonburi, Thailand.

"Naturally different here, but I have settled in nicely," Konkco (19-5, 7KOs) told BoxingScene.com upon touching down for his first career fight outside of his native South Africa.

He enters his second title opportunity on the heels of a five-fight unbeaten streak following a hard-fought decision defeat to countryman and then-strawweight titlist Hekkie Budler more than four years ago. Konkco hasn't fought since a cut-shortened two-round No Decision versus Joey Canoy last December, but remained hard at work while awaiting his next opportunity, a lesson he learned early after turning around his career following a miserable 6-4 start.

A showdown with Thailand's Menayothin was rumored for months, given his status as mandatory challenger. Menayothin has held a sanctioning body title since a 9th round knockout of Mexico's Oswaldo Novoa in Nov. 2014. He's since made 11 successful title defenses, mixing in six non-title fight wins as well to enjoy cult status as "the new TBE", a reference to his unbeaten mark surpassing the 50-0 record sported by all-time great former five division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The defending titlist is coming off of a technical decision win over Tatsuya Fukuhara in their rematch this past May. Pre-fight odds aren't available as this goes to publish, but the local hero is pegged as a heavy favorite among the general public.

It's of little concern to Konkco, who understands the perception and which only further fuels his drive.

"He's a very good fighter, he's an unbeaten champion," acknowledges the visiting challenger. "It's not fair for me to judge (the depth) of his record, just as it's not fair to judge me on my record. I've mixed it up with the best, Hekkie Budler, (former titlist) Nkosinathi Joyi, and also went through a training camp sparring with Budler and (two-time and reigning flyweight titlist) Moruti Mthalane, getting me ready for this fight.

“TBE? After Friday, they can call him Mr. 53-1.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox