Tyson Cave is supremely confident he is one of the world’s best boxers, and he is finally getting a chance to prove it.

The Halifax native, a well-known name in Nova Scotia boxing circles, is leaving Saturday for the fight of his life on July 30 in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines.

Cave will face A.J. Banal, the World Boxing Organization’s fifth-ranked bantamweight, in his  hometown for the WBO’s Asia-Pacific bantamweight crown.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this opportunity,” said Cave, who is ranked 29th among super-bantamweights by the World Boxing Council.

“This is what I’ve been training for since I was 13 years old.”

Cave has had little trouble cruising to a 15-1 record with five knockouts, posting 14 of those victories in Halifax. He called last month’s win against Saturnino Nava little more than a “sparring session” and is facing a much greater challenge on July 30.

“This is a fight,” Cave said. “I have a fight on my hands.”

Banal, also a southpaw, has a devastating 24-1 record with 19 knockouts and is on a seven-fight winning streak.

Victory in the 12-round bout would help put Cave on the map internationally and potentially move him toward a top-10 world ranking.

“People are gonna say, ‘Why haven’t we seen this guy before?’” said Cave’s newest trainer, Karim Collett. “This is the spotlight he needs. When he goes there and puts on a show, a lot of people are going to be overwhelmed.”

Some around Cave advised him against taking the Banal fight, but he wanted a tough opponent and is eager to box away from home.

“It’s good to get away,” he said. “No friends, no family. Just the team, getting  ready.”

Banal is reportedly already looking ahead to the opportunity for a rematch with Rafael Concepcion, who dealt him his only loss back in 2008.

Cave’s camp wants to derail those plans.

“I don’t think A.J. has seen anyone like Tyson,” Collett said. “Speed, agility, experience ‘ when you roll it all up into one, he’s not seen anyone like him. It’s just going to be an awesome fight.”