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"The Time Bomb" is ticking. This much was evident on Monday when Philip "The Time Bomb" Ndou, one of the most charismatic boxers produced in South Africa, revealed at a Golden Gloves media conference that he had applied for a licence to fight again after more than four years.
The 31 year-old Ndou, who retired in 2004 after losing successive fights against the great Floyd Mayweather jnr and Isaac Hlatswayo with a cyst subsequently discovered at the stem of his brain.
Ndou said neuro-surgical tests taken recently had indicated he would be in no more danger than anyone else by fighting again.
"These results and the medical prognosis are in the hands of the boxing board of control, added Ndou.
"I'm expecting a decision any day," said the fighter with the early-Cassius Clay good looks and many of the mannerisms of "The Greatest" before he changed his name to Muhammed Ali.
Golden Gloves have tentatively planned for Ndou to make his comeback -probably as a welterweight or junior welterweight - on a bill at Emperors Palace in February that will, according to publicist Terry Pettifer, be termed "The St Valentine Day's Massacre."
And the fighter with 31 wins - an amazing 30 by knock-outs - and three defeats in 34 bouts is itching to continue the "massacre" in his own right.
Asked why he had decided to make a comeback after four years - indeed why he had retired in the first place - Ndou said the decision had been a nagging factor on his mind "all this time" and he had now figured it was time to attend to unfinished business.
"My trainer at the time, Nick Durandt, was among those who felt I should retire because of the discovery of the cyst," said Ndou, "but the final decision was mine and mine alone - just as is the decision to come back to the ring is mine.
"But I had to make sure I was 100 per cent fit to fight again," he added, "before taking the step."
The comeback, however, will not be under the guiding influence of Durandt, rated right now as South Africa's top boxing trainer - and Ndou will be trained by former fighter Mick Castellan at whose Norwood gym the seeds of a comeback were first sewn.
"Nick was a bosom buddy as well as my trainer," said Ndou, "but the time is ripe to change streams. Nick has a string of champions in his stable who I will be keen to fight - and it is not easy fighting against someone who is in the same camp."
A former world super featherweight champion with the nondescript World Boxing Union, Ndou is more famously remembered for the bout in which he outclassed the redoubtable Cassius Baloyi to annex this particular title in 2001.
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