Lee Selby will put his IBF featherweight title on the line when he takes on Leeds native Josh Warrington on May 19th at a venue to be confirmed.
The two fighters have been embroiled in a war of words in the past, with Selby previously accusing Warrington of bottling an opportunity to face him in 2016 and suggesting that Warrington has been 'obsessed' with him ever since.
However, Warrington will now get the fight that he craves as Selby's mandatory challenger, and he has challenged Warrington to 'prove what he's made of'.
"He's done everything that has been asked of him so far," said Selby, who's last fight came in December -- a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Ramirez. "He's picked up my vacated titles and beat a lot of my past opponents. To his credit, he's earned his position as my mandatory challenger and deserves his shot.
"If Josh comes steaming out like he has done in the past that will just play into my hands as I'll pick him off like I have done with numerous past opponents. If he opts to box on the back foot I definitely can't see him outboxing me. In fact, there's no way I can see him beating me.
In response, Warrington said: "By winning this fight, not only do I get my hands on a World Title, but it's a chance to show everyone that I'm the best featherweight in the UK and propel myself onto the World level."
"It's going to be an entertaining fight for the fans but there's only going to be one winner and that's me. He's not a perfect fighter or a polished fighter, he's got a lot of weak points and I'm going to exploit them.
"The city of Leeds has been craving a World Champion for years and on May 19 I'm going to make history. I'm going to give absolutely everything to achieve my dream -- I'm grabbing this opportunity with both hands."
The victor of this fight could potentially face former-WBA titleholder Carl Frampton, and that is a potential fight that Selby is relishing: "The plan is to beat Warrington and then go over to Belfast and beat Frampton too. If I beat Frampton then the World is my oyster."