He may have won over Jeff Fenech but Justis Huni knows critics will remain after he accounted for Joe Goodall in his heavyweight boxing return.
The 23-year-old had to wait almost exactly a year since beating Paul Gallen to improve his record to 6-0 at Brisbane's Nissan Arena on Wednesday night.
Huni picked apart his 29-year-old former sparring partner who, like him, had won a medal at the amateur world championships before turning professional.
But for all his speed, precision and smarts, it was Huni's power - or lack of it - that meant many pundits weren't confident he could handle the rejuvenated Goodall.
And despite Huni's clear victory - he won an unanimous points decision 100-90, 98-92, 98-93 - the fighter knows the knock will remain after Goodall finished on his feet.
"About the power? Not really," he said when asked if he's silenced some critics.
"But I'm still here and got my '0' (zero losses) so I'm happy."
Huni landed an incredible 194 punches in 10 two-and-a-half minute rounds, closing up Goodall's left eye.
"If the right punch lands then (a knockout) will come. But I've been in the game for a long time, I'm not going out there to look for it," he said.
"I learnt that in my first couple of fights."
A world title-winner in three divisions, Fenech poked the bear earlier in the week when he questioned Huni's power.
But he was blown away by the craft of the 110kg monster he said was throwing combinations usually reserved for the divisions far below Huni's.
Labelling it a "masterclass", he said the deconstruction of Goodall displayed "skills far superior to any heavyweight I've seen in a long, long time".
Victory came after a 12-month spell forced by injury and illness and landed Huni the WBO Oriental, IBF Pan-Pacific and WBC Australasian heavyweight belts.
Importantly it also gave him top-15 rankings in those three sanctioning bodies, placing him in the conversation for a world title fight.
Huni's promoter Dean Lonergan is planning his next fight for October, calling out fellow undefeated Queenslander Demsey McKean (21-0), who he says is running scared.
McKean is ranked 10th in the IBF and WBO heavyweight charts and is managed by British promoter Eddie Hearn, who was in the crowd on Wednesday night.
"They will run like little b*****s because they will not fight Justis Huni after that performance," Lonergan said.
"Eddie Hearn will be sitting up there thinking, 'why would I stick my big heavyweight in with him, he's got no chance'."
Other options include veteran Lucas Browne, new Australian champion Kris Terzievski, who beat Gallen to win the belt Huni vacated during his 12-month absence from the ring, and New Zealand's Kiki Leutele, who Huni was initially set to fight in May.
Lonergan said Huni was now conceivably within seven fights of a world title shot, but he won't rush to send his charge overseas.
"What Justis has just managed to achieve by winning these belts changes the landscape a little bit ... we don't need to go out and fight King Kong every time to move up to where we need to be," he said.
