Sam Bowen aims to make a name for himself in a fight against Jordan McCorry on Saturday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England, (ESPN+ in the U.S., 3:30 p.m. ET).
Unbeaten Bowen (14-0, 10 KOs), 26, from Leicestershire, puts his British junior lightweight title on the line in front of his home fans against substitute challenger McCorry. He won the title with an eighth-round stoppage win over Maxi Hughes nearly a year ago.
British boxers, including reigning world titleholder Anthony Joshua and Callum Smith, have gone on to bigger things after reigning as domestic champion and this weekend is a vital moment for Bowen if he wants to continue his progression.
"I've only seen footage of one fight and he [McCorry] looks like a good mover," said Bowen. "You can't really tell too much, but I don't think he looked too big compared to me. I am thinking I will just be too strong from what I have seen of him.
"I am pleased to have a challenger booked in and hopefully the habit people have of pulling out stops now and the fights happen for me. It will be good to get a defense of the British title under my belt in front of the home fans in Leicester."
McCorry (17-4-1, 4 KOs), 28, from Glasgow, is coming off a defeat after being outpointed by Patrick Kinigamazi, of Rwanda, in December and has stepped in as a late replacement for original opponent Ronnie Clark.
"I was meant to fight twice in an eliminator but they never happened, so when I was offered this fight I jumped at the chance," McCorry said. "Everybody wants to fight for the British title and it is a great belt.
"When you get into the top 10 at this level everybody is going to be good. We know he is big for the weight and strong, so it will definitely be a good fight. We know he has got a lot of power, likes to come forward and stuff like that, so I know that at one point in the fight I will just have to bite down on the gum shield and go toe-to-toe."
Also on the bill is heavyweight prospect Nathan Gorman against veteran American Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson, a former world-title challenger.
Gorman (15-0, 11 KOs), the 22-year-old cousin of heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury, is being linked to a fight against fellow unbeaten Briton Daniel Dubois later this year.
Johnson, who took Vitali Klitschko to points for the WBC world title in 2009, has already faced Dubois and last year extended the Londoner to points for the first -- and so far only -- time in his 10-fight career. Johnson (34-12-1, 18 KOs), 39, from Georgia, now travels the world for fights as a journeyman, with two wins in his past six fights. However, Johnson has denied the likes of Dubois and Filip Hrgovic knockouts in the past six months and represents a good test for Gorman, who is trained by former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton in Greater Manchester.
"He seems to have been in with everyone so it only seems right that I should fight him too because it will be another experience and another style," said Gorman, who had been due to face former UFC fighter Fabio Maldonado.
"I know I have been training for a different style and have only had four or five days to prepare for it, but it will be another box ticked."