KEY POINTS:
David Tua didn't take the bait but it hasn't deterred Shane Cameron from his quest - a world title fight.
The Mountain Warrior, as Cameron is also known, called on Tua for an all-Kiwi heavyweight showdown after his 17th straight win last weekend but Tua has done little more than duck and weave.
"I think he's running scared of the country boy," the quietly-spoken Cameron says. Bravado is an important part of boxing but Cameron still has some way to go to master the art of bluster.
"I'm getting better at it," says Cameron, who grew up in the tiny town of Tiniroto, 45 minutes from Gisborne. "It's not in my nature but I will make it my nature. If you don't talk it up, you won't have as many people watching... it all helps the bottom line."
Cameron is, though, still learning his trade and he's come a long way since knocking out Winston Palu in the third round of his first professional fight in 2002.
His untarnished record of 17 wins, 15 by knockout, has some boxing aficionados outside this country taking note.
While most aspiring boxers pad out their records with fights against lesser-known opponents, Cameron has taken on a couple of high-risk fights. His past two, in particular, against Roger Izonritei and Osborne Machimana, could have halted his career like a Tua left hook.
Instead, he now holds the WBA Pan African and IBF Pan Pacific heavyweight titles. Perhaps more crucially, the 29-year-old is now ranked 14th by the IBF and 17th by the WBA, which puts him ahead of Tua.
After learning his trade and establishing a record, Cameron thinks he will soon be ready for the big time.
He has two more fights in Auckland early next year against as yet unnamed opponents before heading back to the United States to make a concerted effort to not only move up the rankings but to also develop a following in a potentially lucrative market.
His last foray there resulted in two wins but was relatively unsuccessful in terms of capturing the American public's imagination.
He wasn't helped by scheduling, with two fights inside four weeks, including one at altitude, and it prompted promoter Gary Shaw to advise Cameron to head back to New Zealand to develop his trade.
"I'll be ready in another six or seven months," the 2002 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist declares. "By then, I will have had two or three more fights, been in training camps and I will be ready for anyone in the top 10.
"I don't really care who I fight. Someone with a world title. People say, 'when are you going to get a shot at a world title?' It could be next year, it could be the year after. When it comes, I have to be ready."
One major factor in Cameron's favour is the fact all boxers in the top 10 must fight at least one opponent ranked inside the world's top 15 every 18 months. It will be difficult for promoters to ignore him, especially if he keeps winning.
It might also be hard for Tua to continue ignoring him. He will need to do something to save his once fine professional career slipping to an inglorious end.
"I think it will happen with David when the time is right but at the moment, he has too much to lose," Cameron surmises.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cameron has everything to gain.
Shane Cameron
AKA: Mountain Warrior
Age: 29
Weight: 106kg
Height: 186cm
Record: 17 wins, 0 losses, 15KOs
IBF world ranking: 14
Cameron holds both the WBA Pan African and IBF Pan Pacific heavyweight title. He also won a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
He grew up in the small East Coast town of Tiniroto, population 2142. He often rode a horse to school and claims to have bitten off sheep's testicles to de-sex them when working on a farm (quite common, allegedly, and often cooked up for a feast).
