British cruiserweights Tony Bellew and Nathan Cleverly will be hoping to secure their highly-anticipated rematch on Saturday evening when they headline Matchroom Sport's 'Collision Course' event at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
The two rivals will face each other at the end of the year if they can overcome Julio Cesar Dos Santos and Alejandro Valori respectively, and the Merseyside card is packed with a number of other bouts that can advance the careers of some of Britain's rising stars.
Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua will attempt to record his seventh successive victory against Matt Skelton, Callum Smith can improve his WBC super-middleweight ranking if he can defeat Vladine Biosse, while Rocky Fielding will be hoping to progress in the same division in his fight with the hard-hitting Noe Gonzalez Alcoba.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the headline acts, while also assessing the fights that will take place on a stellar undercard.
1. Tony Bellew vs. Julio Cesar Dos Santos
Tony Bellew has long insisted that he is more equipped in a higher weight class, but he was arguably seconds away from catastrophe against Valery Brudov in March before the Ukrainian's onslaught was brought to a halt after a low blow.
The 31-year-old survived to deliver a devastating knockout in the final round in what ultimately showed why the Liverpudlian is one of Britain's most exciting fighters, but he will need to show that he possesses a sound tactical game to successfully beat power-puncher Julio Cesar Dos Santos.
© Getty Images
Like many South Americans, Dos Santos isn't afraid to trade and that could potentially be Bellew's downfall if he opts to get involved in a war with someone who has stopped 23 of his 28 opponents, with all but one coming inside the first six rounds.
Bellew also has to contend with the knowledge that the Brazilian has only suffered defeat by a decision after 12 rounds, which could have an influence on the Brit's gameplan, but if he can come up with a strategy to connect with his shots and stay out of range, the crowd favourite could find a way to stop Dos Santos at some point during the middle part of the fight.
2. Nathan Cleverly vs. Alejandro Valori
After taking time away from the ring to develop into the physique of a cruiserweight, Nathan Cleverly marked his first outing in the weight division by recording a routine second-round stoppage of Shawn Corbin.
His opponent on that night offered very little in the way of resistance and that meant it was hard to take too many positives from Cleverly's performance, but what he did do was move a step closer to a blockbuster showdown with Bellew.
© Getty Images
However, that fight will be pushed further down the line unless the Welshman can overcome Alejandro Valori, who arrives in England with 15 wins from 19 matches having won the Argentinian title earlier this year.
Cleverly will take encouragement from the fact that Valori has hit the canvas six times during his career, and while he should have enough in the tank to take care of the South American by the middle rounds, the 27-year-old must avoid trading with his opponent if he wants to come through this encounter unscathed and in the right mindset to potentially face Bellew.
3. Anthony Joshua vs. Matt Skelton
There has been much clamour for Anthony Joshua to be pushed at a greater pace than he has been so far by his promoter Eddie Hearn, but in racing through his first six fights in nine rounds, the Londoner has laid down the foundations for further progression in the next 12 months.
© Getty Images
However, with a step-up already being lined up for the 24-year-old in August, he must avoid complacency on Saturday when he steps into the ring with veteran Matt Skelton, who is considered a stronger opponent to what Joshua has faced since his debut last year.
Skelton, 47, hasn't fought since losing out to John McDermott on points at the start of 2013, but with 23 stoppages to his name, he has the firepower to hurt Joshua should the younger fighter take his foot off the gas.
Joshua has already shown, though, that he is dedicated to honing his craft and while he will expect to come through against Skelton, he will be aware that he has to be fully focused to overcome an opponent who has nothing to lose.
4. Callum Smith vs. Vladine Biosse
Ever since missing out on a place at the Olympics, Callum Smith has steamrollered his way through the early part of his professional career with nine stoppage wins in 11 fights, six of which have occurred during the opening three minutes.
However, it is getting to a stage in the 24-year-old's career where he needs to make the step up to gain more rounds under his belt, but it needs to be done at a pace where he can continue to look impressive as he makes his way up the WBC rankings.
It's proven to be a difficult task for Hearn to find an opponent who fits the bill, but in Vladine Biosse, both Smith and his promoter could have secured the perfect fight in order for the Liverpudlian to continue to make waves in the 168lbs division.
© Getty Images
The American has 15 victories in 20 contests, and he displayed his calibre in going 10 rounds with J'Leon Love in February, but the 32-year-old has only posted one stoppage success since 2011.
Smith will have to be on his guard against an opponent who is likely to last the pace on his first venture outside of the United States, but if the heavy-hitting Brit can connect with his trademark body punches, that could deflate the belief of his opponent.
The rest of the card
After being stripped of the Commonwealth strap, Rocky Fielding will be hoping to win the vacant WBA intercontinental belt against Noe Gonzalez Alcoba, but the Liverpudlian is likely to face the toughest test of his professional career against the Uruguayan.
Alcoba's three defeats as a professional have come against Felix Sturm, Adonis Stevenson and George Groves, but with a point to prove after failing to make the weight for his last outing, Fielding will be looking to put on a devastating display that would earn him a world ranking in the WBA.
Elsewhere, London 2012 gold medallist Luke Campbell makes his return to the lightweight division against Craig Woodruff, while bronze medal winner Anthony Ogogo has been paired with Wayne Reed.
Super-featherweight Stephen Smith takes part in a tune-up bout against Pedro Navarrete as he prepares for a world title opportunity, while super-bantamweight Gamal Yafai makes his third appearance in the paid ranks against Reynaldo Cajina.
Darren Plant
