Lü Bin Photo: VCG

Lü Bin, who boxed for China at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, is set to fight ­Yutthana Kaensa of Thailand for the WBA International Super Flyweight Championship in his hometown on Thursday.

"I've been waiting for my chance," Lü said. "Now the time has come."

Lü, 28, was known for his tearful defeat in the men's 49-kilogram division at Rio 2016.

Despite falling short of his Olympic dreams, Lü proved himself by claiming the national title in 2016 and then turned pro two years later.

Lü, a native of Yongkang in East China's Zhejiang Province, has spent months in China's southwestern city of Kunming ahead of the upcoming WBA title bout, his first competitive fight in nearly five years.

"I've got a better grasp on speed and timing and have improved my punching technique a lot these years," he said.

Apart from arduous training, Lü has struggled to maintain his weight at around 52-kilogram - running 10 kilometers every morning and engaging in special training for two hours in the afternoon, and eating a high-protein, low-carbon diet every day for the past five years.

"It's absolute torture," he admitted.

"The hunger for food was huge, but my hunger for victory is even bigger.

"To do what I love is a real blessing for me. I feel like the second spring of my career has come."

Kaensa, 25, is an experienced name in Thailand's professional boxing circuit and has a record of 24-4, with three defeats in his last five fights.