Joshua Buatsi showed spite along with smooth skills in his British title victory over Liam Conroy and can mature into a world champion, says Johnny Nelson.
The unbeaten 26-year-old claimed the British light-heavyweight belt in his 10th bout, stopping Conroy in the third round at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night.
Sky Sports expert Nelson was impressed with Buatsi's ruthless performance, but hopes the Londoner receives more time before he tests himself at the highest level.
"Best I've seen him yet," Nelson told Sky Sports. "That's his 10th professional fight and each fight he's improved in some aspect of his game.
"He looked spiteful, he looked on point. He looked determined and focused. I thought 'this kid is brilliant.' He knows exactly what he's doing and how he's going to do it. He knows what kind of pressure to put on, and when to put it on.
"There's space for growth, there's space for him to get experience and wisdom. This kid can be the top of the tree."
Callum Johnson, the previous Lonsdale title holder, is pursuing a second world title shot following his knockout win over Sean Monaghan earlier this month.
Anthony Yarde, another potential rival, is yet to confirm whether he will take a mandatory title fight against WBO champion Sergey Kovalev, and Nelson believes he is one of the few who could pose serious problems to Buatsi.
"I wouldn't put my house on it and say he's the best in Britain yet, because there's a young fighter called Mr Yarde that's out there, and he's the only one," said Nelson.
"You never know what marbles are on the table for that. He's the only one that I think 'wow, that would be tough.'
"Apart from that domestically, there's nobody around. These two are going to cross paths eventually."