Luke Campbell MBE and Tommy Coyle face tough examinations at the Hull Ice Arena on March 7, live on Sky Sports, before their blockbuster summer showdown can become a reality.
Campbell takes on former British Super Featherweight champion Gary Sykes in a Yorkshire derby in his tenth fight, while Coyle faces former British Lightweight champion Martin Gethin.
The Hull pair lit the blue touch paper on a huge fight for the city back in October when Coyle landed a stunning second round KO of Australian great Michael Katsidis after Campbell had smartly seen off Coyle’s 2014 Fight of the Year foe Daniel Brizuela with a fifth round stoppage in his first ten round bout.
“These are great fights for Luke and Tommy to lay down a marker ahead of their explosive clash in the summer,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Both guys will be out to impress in front of the home fans and indeed each other, but Gary and Martin will be aiming to scupper their plans and add famous scalps to their already impressive CVs – there will be plenty of tension in the air with Luke and Tommy knowing they must come through their fights in style to set up the showdown that their hometown fans crave.”
A top class supporting cast joins the Hull duo as exciting Birmingham youngster Sam Eggington fights for his first major title on the bill, facing Shayne Singleton for the WBC International Welterweight strap.
Liverpool’s unbeaten Super Middleweight Rocky Fielding makes his hotly anticipated return to the ring after hand surgery following his fifth round win over Noe Gonzalez in July, with further names to be added to the card soon.