Nigeria’s Rasheed Abolaji ‘Afonja Warrior’ will on Friday night face Briton Elliott Matthews for the vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Middleweight Title.
The 12-round affair is scheduled to headline York Hall, Bethnal Green, London.
This would be 27-year-old Rasheed’s second shot at the Commonwealth title as he lost the same belt to Sam Sheedy last year.
Liam Cameron, who later beat Sheedy, was stripped of the Commonwealth title after failing a drugs test.
Rasheed has suffered four losses in 16 fights since turning pro in 2013, while Matthews, a 37-year-old southpaw from Watford is undefeated after 22 fights and began boxing professionally in 2012.
Rasheed has suffered four losses in 16 fights since turning pro in 2013, while Matthews, a 37-year-old southpaw from Watford is undefeated after 22 fights and began boxing professionally in 2012.
Rasheed beat Ghanaian Aryee Ayittey by a unanimous decision at the Landmark Events Center, Lagos in December to become the West African Boxing Union featherweight champion but lost the vacant African Boxing Union Middleweight title to French-Moroccan Bilel Jkitou in January.
He blamed his loss to Jkitou for the vacant African Boxing Union (ABU) to the water and food he ate prior to the fight in Morocco.
Another Nigerian, Obi Egbunike is set to make his professional debut against journeyman William Warburton as part of the under-card fights.