I have the utmost respect for fighters who early in their careers venture to other countries to face good opposition, even challenging champions in their own backyard.
Let's say I have far greater respect for those fighters than those who never leave their own neighborhoods until they've had 30-40 pro fights.

Traveling abroad you face numerous challenges such as: hostile crowds, unfamiliar daily routine, biased judges, and others.
Usually when you're traveling early it means you're facing better opposition (though not always) than if you stay at home fighting taxi cab drivers.

I must say some of our local champs from the past, such as Wilfredo Vazquez, did an admirable job of traveling often and early.
His first 30 pro fights were split evenly between Puerto Rico and the States, fighting in Vegas, Atlantic City, and Miami.
He was then ready to fight for a world championship, and he went to Seoul, Korea to beat Chan Young Park and grab the WBA World Bantamweight title.
After that he rarely fought in Puerto Rico, traveling to Thailand, Japan, Mexico, Spain, France, and the UK.
They probably didn't have frequent flyer miles back then, but he sure made good use of his passport.

Wilfredo Gomez debuted in Panama and didn't fight in Puerto Rico until his 8th pro fight. How common is that nowadays?
Only 11 out Edwin Rosario's 53 professional fights were in Puerto Rico.

By contrast, a guy like Yori Boy Campas (who I was a great fan of, by the way) didn't venture out of Mexico until after 37 pro fights. By the time he faced Trinidad he was 56-0, with only a handful of fights in the States.
Canelo started with 22 pro fights in Mexico, ventured out into the States for 2 fights, then retreated to obscure Mexican towns for 8 more fights before he became a star and started having more fights in the States.
Even then, he never leaves the friendly confines of Vegas and Texas (little Mexico).
Even the great Julio Cesar Chavez started 33-0 totally split between Culiacan and Tijuana, Mexico, before crossing the border into Sacramento, California.
Another great Mexican champion, Carlos Zarate, was 30-0 completely in Mexico before fighting in nearby California.

Some great Japanese fighters haven't fared much better when it comes to that.

Hall of Famer Yoko Gushiken fought his entire career in Japan. I don't know, but there's something wrong with that.
Another HOF'er, Fighting Harada, had 62 pro fights, and a grand total of 3 fights outside of Japan.
There's more examples, but it's clear that the traveling Japanese champion is the exception, rather than the rule.


Translating that to today, it's why I'm keen on who's willing to travel abroad and who just wants to stay home all the time.
It's another measuring stick to me.