Brown, fresh off a spirited title challenge in a losing effort against Vassiliy Jirov, was expected to blow through the unheralded Guyana native, who was only 11-0 at the time. But as the days ticked down, Braithwaite was nowhere to be found, only showing up at the Mohegan Sun Casino at 4:30am on the day of the fight due to Visa problems.

As Michael Katz, then of the New York Daily News reported, "He (Braithwaite) arrived without mouthpiece, trunks, cup or trainer."

Braithwaite chuckles when reminded of this. "I had the mouthpiece," he said. "I had the trunks too." It kills the story a bit, but he did come alone to the fight and did arrive at 4:30am on fight day. So with all of this piling up against him, was he worried about performing in the biggest fight of his life?

"Nah, I'm never nervous when I'm in a fight," he deadpans. He won in the eighth round, stopping Brown.

Wayne Braithwaite's peers wouldn't forget him again, but gaining worldwide fan acceptance has been a slower process. And despite his punching power and pleasing style, being a champion in one of boxing's forgotten divisions doesn't help matters much.

"They have to put good fights together to show that the cruiserweight division is just as good as the other weights," said Braithwaite (19-0, 16 KOs). "I'm hoping that after this fight that people will be excited to see me fight at cruiserweight, and hopefully I'll get a chance to fight James Toney or (Vassiliy) Jirov. Those would be exciting fights."

They would be, but with it being reported in USA Today that Toney has relinquished his cruiserweight crown, Braithwaite is left with one less high-profile dance partner in the division. And that's unfortunate, because one mention of 'Lights Out' and the normally soft-spoken champion gets riled up.

"Toney started talking a lot of BS about me at my fight in Miami (a TKO win over Ravea Springs in February)," said Braithwaite, 28. "He don't know nothing about me. He's a great defensive fighter, and while I respect him as a person, I don't like him as a boxer. If Toney and me fight, I will knock him out. I promise anybody that."

Big words from the "Big Truck", but first he has to get by Pineda tomorrow, and luckily for him, he knows a little more about the 17-3 (15 KOs) Panamanian than most observers.

"I watched a few tapes on him," said Braithwaite. "He's not really special, but he's a good puncher. I think it should be a good fight. I'm not underestimating him or taking him for granted. I know he's coming to fight, so whatever he has to offer, I'm prepared for it."

Braithwaite enjoys being champion and all that comes with it. It's come quicker for him (only six years and 19 fights) than for most, but he's made the best of his opportunities - beating Brown after only 11 fights, drubbing then-unbeaten Louis Azille in his title eliminator, and winning the belt in Italy against Italian Vincenzo Cantatore. So he's done a lot of quality fighting in a short time, and hey, that's what he left Guyana for in 1999.

"Back home in Guyana we don't have the opportunities that you have here," said Braithwaite, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. "The only way I felt that I could better my career and become a world champion was to come to America. I beat everyone in Guyana and boxed everyone in the Caribbean, so there was nobody else to fight. The only way I could make a name was to come to America."

Not that a change in his fistic fortunes made New York winters any warmer.

"The biggest adjustment was getting used to the cold and the change of weather to four seasons," he admits. "But I could adapt to anything because I've fought in different countries."

While fighting in Italy in October of last year, Braithwaite proved his worth on the world stage by closing the show against Cantatore, stopping him in the tenth round to win the WBC title. For most fighters, it would be a great accomplishment and the opportunity to make a few extra bucks in the ring as a champion. For Braithwaite, one of only a handful of world champions from Guyana, it was something much, much more. He became a National hero.

"That was overwhelming," said Braithwaite of his post-title winning return home. "I was treated like a President over there. I had a motorcade, I got gifts, and I had everyone coming out. It was nice."

Did he ever dream as a child that something like that could ever happen to him?

A pause.

"Not really, but when I saw boxing, it was like, I hope someday that I can be a hero for the country, and that people will show me respect," he said. "At home now I get a lot of respect and love from everybody."

He gets a lot of respect from his peers as well, with a dearth of suitors willing to line up to stand in front of the "Big Truck". Braithwaite takes such backhanded praise well.

"It shows that people respect you and that they know about you," he said. "That's an honor for me. Anyway, they'll have to fight me somehow or some time. But it will take a lot of courage for them to step up and take that fight."

Or maybe they'll just wait around for Braithwaite to leave the cruiserweight division and go up to heavyweight, something he would like to do once he settles all business in his current weight class.

"I will go up eventually, but my goal is right now is to unify the division and be the only cruiserweight champion," said Braithwaite. "When I do that, I think I'm going to step up."

But for now, there's tomorrow, Pineda, and a chance to perform on one of the biggest fight cards in history. The boxing world will be watching, as will Guyana. But for Wayne Braithwaite there are no worries.