Luke Campbell was 13 years old when he watched Audley Harrison win Olympic gold in Sydney and was inspired to set out a quest he hopes will end in him emulating Harrison's achievement in a fortnight's time.
While many have pilloried Harrison for his failings in the professional boxing ranks, to Hull bantamweight Campbell the Londoner remains the reason why he took up the sport with the objective of also claiming Olympic gold.
Campbell said: "I remember watching Audley on the television with my dad. I loved it when I saw him win his medal and I started boxing properly soon after that."
He added: "At first I just wanted a couple of trophies to put in a cabinet. But it got to the stage when I was the best young boxer in Britain, and so on. Now it is all about winning a gold medal at the Olympics."
Campbell came from nowhere to become the first Briton in 47 years to win a European title in Liverpool in 2008, but admits a subsequent loss of form threatened his position as one of the brightest boxing prospects of his generation.
Campbell said: "I've had a bit of a rollercoaster to get here. After winning the Europeans I thought I'd arrived and proved myself on that level.
"But then the whole Great Britain set-up changed and that affected me and showed in my performances. I had a hand injury and I got very low at many points, but I stayed dedicated and focused and I wasn't going to let my dream go away.
"Being in the Olympic village is a once in a lifetime experience but now I've embraced it it's time to get back to the structured routine. I'm here for one thing and that is to accomplish something I've trained all my life for."