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Briton Fabio Wardley says he still needs to "earn the right" to call himself world heavyweight champion and believes he "has a point to prove" to fans.
The Ipswich fighter beat Joseph Parker to win the WBO 'interim' title in October and was promoted to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk chose to relinquish the belt.
Usyk still holds the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, having defeated Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in July to become a two-time undisputed champion.
"It's always nicer to do it properly, do it in the ring, have the belt handed to you, shake hands with your opponent after and say 'look, good fight, thank you' and everything else," Wardley told BBC Sport.
The 30-year-old is the 11th Briton to hold a heavyweight world title, but feels he still has work to do to win over some supporters.
"They don't like it when the belts, in their eyes, just get handed about if people relinquish them," Wardley said.
"So there's a level of earning it I will still have to do - but it's an annoying one as well, because if Usyk would have relinquished [the title] three or four weeks ago it would have been on the line for the Joseph Parker fight."
Wardley's ascent to world champion has been remarkable. He only took up boxing at 20, emerging from the unlicensed white-collar circuit, and has stopped 19 opponents in his 20 professional wins.
Known for his knockout power, he was behind on the scorecards against Justis Huni in June before producing a one-punch finish in the 10th round. He also appeared to be trailing Parker before stopping the New Zealander in the 11th.
Wardley says he wants to cement his champion status by defending the title in the ring. However, discussions over an opponent for his first defence are yet to begin.
"There's a long list of [fighters] that could be opponents out there," he said.
"Some great domestic fights, some great international fights as well. We could do it in the UK, we could do it abroad, who knows?"
Wardley aims to make a couple of defences before pursuing unification bouts late next year, whether against Usyk - if he still holds the belts - or another champion.
One fighter Wardley would "not shy away" from is two-time world champion Anthony Joshua, who faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December.
Both Wardley and Joshua train under Ben Davison, although unconfirmed reports suggest Joshua may no longer be working with the Essex-based coach.
"I'd never say no to anyone. AJ is one of the reasons that I got into boxing," Wardley said.
"He kind of changed the face of UK boxing from when he got into the sport and really brought it back to life in a sense.
"It would be an honour to share the ring with him."
