Flyweight world titlist Charlie Edwards will make the first defense against Angel Moreno at the Copper Box Arena on March 23 in London, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.
Edwards (14-1, 6 KOs), 25, of England, scored a major upset to win the 112-pound belt by unanimous decision from Cristofer Rosales on Dec. 22 at the O2 Arena in London on the Dillian Whyte-Dereck Chisora II undercard.
Now comes defense No. 1 against Moreno (19-2-2, 6 KOs), 35, of Spain, which will headline a card that will stream live on DAZN in the United States.
"Moreno is a very tough and game fighter," Edwards said. "He's a mature man and he doesn't shy away from any opportunities. He's going to come to try and steal my title from me. This is a fight that I'm very confident of winning and a fight that I can look really good in. I'm looking forward to getting back in the ring with him. I sparred him ahead of the (Johnriel) Casimero fight but I'm a completely different animal now."
Edwards challenged then-flyweight titlist Casimero for a belt in 2016 but suffered a 10th-round knockout in his only defeat. Edwards has won six fights in a row since.
"This is only the beginning, this is a new chapter in my career and this is where the real hard work starts," Edwards said. "I want to be an active world champion. I want to be in the ring fighting and getting better and pushing myself. I'm not in this game to take part. I want to be a multi-weight world champion. I look forward to taking my first steps as a world champion and defending my belt on March 23."
The undercard will include 2016 British Olympian and blue-chip prospect Joshua Buatsi (9-0, 7 KOs), 25, taking on Liam Conroy (16-3-1, 8 KOs), 26, for the vacant British light heavyweight title.
"This is a good benchmark to see where I'm at," Buatsi said. "My team see me day in, day out in the gym and this is the title they feel I'm ready for. Liam has won his last five fights by knockout and he'll be heading into the fight full of confidence. There's a good title at stake and he knows there's a big reward if he beats me. For me, it's a big stepping stone and another box to tick on my way to the top. This is an important fight for my career and I need to get the belt to move on."
There are two other notable bouts on the card. London cruiserweights Lawrence Okolie (11-0, 8 KOs), 26, the British champion, and Wadi Camacho (21-7, 12 KOs), 33, the Commonwealth champion, will meet for both titles and British lightweight champion Lewis Ritson (17-1, 11 KOs), 25, will defend against Andy Townend (22-4, 14 KOs), 29. The fight will be Ritson's first since Oct. 13, when he lost a split decision challenging Francesco Patera for the vacant European title.