Otto Wallin wants nothing more than to demonstrate Saturday night that his performance against Tyson Fury wasn’t an aberration.

The Swedish southpaw will face Travis Kauffman in his first fight since testing Fury in their 12-round heavyweight battle last September 14 in Las Vegas. Wallin has endured a brief bout with COVID-19 and a fractured bone in his left foot since he faced Fury, but he is fully healthy entering this 10-rounder with Kauffman.

“It’s just [about] me going out there and being myself, and take care of Kauffman,” Wallin said during Showtime’s virtual press conference Wednesday. “He’s a good fighter, so I have to be alert at all times. But I feel like I’m better, I’m more young, fresh and everything. I just feel like I’m a better fighter. So, as long I go out there and just be myself and leave it all in the ring, everything will come in place and everybody will see that it wasn’t a fluke, that it wasn’t just a one-time thing, and that I am good, and that I am for real.”

The 29-year-old Wallin was an unknown underdog when he fought Fury, who expected an easier bout before facing Deontay Wilder in their WBC heavyweight championship rematch.

Wallin capitalized on by far the most important opportunity of his career. Wallin’s straight left hand opened a disgusting cut above Fury’s right eye in the third round, which completely changed the nature of their encounter.

England’s Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) withstood the damage done by that cut, took control during the later rounds and won comfortably on all three scorecards (118-110, 117-111, 116-112). Wallin wants a rematch, though he understands Fury, who stopped Wilder in the seventh round February 22, is contractually obligated to a third fight with Wilder, would be due to make a mandatory defense against Dillian Whyte if he beats Wilder again and wants what would be a huge fight against Anthony Joshua.

“Hopefully, I will get a title shot,” Wallin said. “I mean, I really did well with Fury and better than anybody has. So, you can take that and look at it and say that I am one of the top guys, for sure. But where I stand, it’s hard to tell. But I definitely think that I’m one of the top guys and I’m happy to be back fighting again, and can’t wait to show that. And then, you know, the champions are tied up with themselves and stuff.

“We’ll see what’s gonna happen, but I feel like after the Fury fight nobody will have to take criticism for fighting me. So, they know that I’m good, hopefully, and they will give me another shot. I know that Fury, he’s always calling out a lot of guys, but he never mentions my name.”

Wallin (20-1, 13 KOs, 1 NC) intended to return against Australia’s Lucas Browne (29-2, 25 KOs) on March 28 at Park MGM in Las Vegas. About a month earlier, Wallin withdrew from that bout because he fractured a bone in his left foot.

Showtime’s entire March 28 card later was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 34-year-old Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs, 1 NC), of Reading, Pennsylvania, will end an even longer layoff than Wallin.

Kauffman hasn’t boxed since Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz stopped him in the 10th round of their December 2018 fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder primarily kept Kauffman out of action this long.

After an 11-month absence, Wallin wants to remind fans that he is a legitimate heavyweight contender in the first of three fights Showtime will air, starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

“I think I got great momentum from that [Fury] fight because the world started noticing me,” Wallin said, “and I think a lot of people are keeping an eye on this fight to see how I do. … Like I said before, I’ve just gotta be myself and do my best and leave it all in the ring. And then I think it’ll come in place. But it will be nice, of course, to get a good win here and show everybody, like we said, that it wasn’t a fluke that time.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.