Maxi Hughes will finally get his hands on former world title contender Joseph Laryea next month.
The Doncaster fighter was set to face Laryea earlier this year only for the Ghanaian to be forced out of the fight at the 11th hour after injuring his shoulder in the toilets of a Turkish airport on his way to England.
And with another tough test against former Olympic fighter Joe Murray also shelved in the last couple of months, Hughes has plenty of pent up frustration to unleash when he finally comes face to face with Laryea, on September 12 at iceSheffield.
“This is a good fight for me because Laryea is someone who has seen it all and is used to mixing in a higher class than what I’ve been in,” the Rossington lightweight said.
“I’ve been saying to my promoter and to my trainer that I’m ready to be stepped up and I’m certainly getting what I asked for because Laryea is a huge step up for me.
“This is a huge fight for me and it’s one that helps get my name out there.
“Once I’ve beaten Laryea, it’ll make a lot of people sit up and take notice of me and then I can begin to focus on getting some title fights.”
Since impressing in defeat to English title contender Scott Cardle last year, Hughes has been looking for another step up in class as he pushes towards the domestic elite himself.
And promoter Dave Coldwell is delighted to have delivered the contest the 24-year-old has been craving for so long.
“Maxi Hughes is someone who’s impressed me a lot over the last year and this is a fight that’s going to move him up the rankings at a quick pace if he wins,” Coldwell said.
“He’s learning so much under trainer Gary Lockett in Wales, he’s doing the weight brilliantly and there’s a whole list of fighters out there that I could put him in with if he does the business against Laryea.
“I’m looking forward to him showing me what I know he’s capable of on September 12th and after that we can look at getting him a big fight.”