“I rate that victory up there as one of my best,” Ryan said, noting that Halabi had a lot of support among the crowd of about 1600.

The Gunnedah middleweight boxer nonetheless thanked his contingent of fans who came to Sydney to support him.

Last Friday was Ryan’s fourth bout of the year, having started in February with a win against Adili Abulimiti in Lanzhou to initially earn the WBC ABCO Continental middleweight title.

“The one I won in China was most satisfying. To defend the WBC title at Luna Park was satisfying, (with) all the hard work (that went into it),” Ryan said.

Ryan referred to preparation as he alluded to weight, diet, health and the physical side of things.

Ryan’s victory in China came as his opponent retired after eight of the scheduled 12 rounds, before Ryan’s win at Luna Park was a Technical Knockout (TKO).

Ryan’s second bout of the year, in August, resulted in a loss in a split decision (SD) against Wes Capper in Perth as an Australian middleweight title was on offer.

Ryan regained his winning ways as he won in a unanimous decision (UD) against Joe Rea in Launceston during October.

Acknowledging his trainers David Syphers and Richard Dumaluan, Ryan said: “I think this year’s been a very big eye-opener for us.”

Ryan sensed that his bout in China “gave us a lot of exposure” as it was the first time he had ever been overseas.

“It opens some doors to bigger fights in 2017,” Ryan said.

Ryan recalled that it was “pretty surreal” to fight in front of a big crowd at a big stadium in China, with all of the spectators supporting Abulimiti.

“To win by TKO in the eighth round would be the highlight of the year,” Ryan said.

As for the loss to Capper, Ryan said: “It was a bit disheartening because we put our heart and soul into it.

“But we took a lot out of it...you learn just as much out of a loss as a win.”

Having missed out on an Australian title this year, Ryan said “it’s definitely a title we want next year”.

Whether or not Ryan contests Capper again would depend on whether Capper maintained his title or sought to defend it.

Ryan indicated that he also sought to defend his WBC title, and perhaps vie for an International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organization (IBO) or World Boxing Association (WBA) title.

“The sky’s the limit,” Ryan said.

“We’ve got to stay focused. Got to take it one fight at a time.”

Ryan even indicated there was a possibility of a bout in Gunnedah, saying: “It’s always good to fight in front of your home crowd.”