British heavyweight Tyson Fury will hope to put the disappointment of missing out on a showdown with Dereck Chisora when he faces tough Belarussian Alexander Ustinov at the Phones4U Arena in Manchester on Saturday evening.
Despite Ustinov's inclusion coming at late notice, Fury is likely to face the toughest test of his career on a bill that also includes the European middleweight title bout between Billy Joe Saunders and Emanuele Blandamura, and the British lightweight title encounter involving Terry Flanagan and Martin Gethin.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the headline acts, while also assessing the fights that will take place on the undercard.
1. Tyson Fury vs. Alexander Ustinov
After Dereck Chisora withdrew from a high-profile fight that would reward the victor with an opportunity to fight for the WBO title, Tyson Fury's career prospects looked to have taken a major hit when it appeared as though another three-month training camp had gone to waste at the last minute for the second time in the space of a year.
However, perhaps learning from the misfortune of the David Haye saga, Fury's camp remained positive and moved to secure a replacement for the Brit, but with many believing that someone that Fury would call a "journeyman" would step in at late notice, a deal was agreed with the world-ranked Alexander Ustinov, who has lost just once in 29 matches.
Given that Ustinov's one defeat came after 11 rounds against Kubrat Pulev, the man who will face Wladimir Klitschko in September, it can be argued that the 37-year-old is a step up from Chisora, and the Belarus fighter will be in shape after acting as a sparring partner for the Brit during the past 12 weeks.
After his win over Joey Abell, Fury insisted that he would only be fighting high-calibre opponents during this stage of his career, and the Morecambe-based combatant deserves credit for standing by his word. However, this is a match that will require Fury's full concentration and he can't afford any slip-ups if he wants to seal a big fight later in 2014.
If Fury can cope with the change in opponent at short notice, the Brit should come through with the win, but like with any Fury fight, it might not be plain sailing for the 25-year-old.
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2. Billy Joe Saunders vs. Emanuele Blandamura
After 10 months out of the ring, Billy Joe Saunders is finally ready to continue his ascent up the world rankings as he looks for an opportunity to compete for the WBO title within the next year.
The Hertfordshire-based fighter hasn't fought since marginally outpointing John Ryder for the Commonwealth strap last September, but as he prepares to make the step up to European level, it has given the 24-year-old the chance to make improvements to his game for his tussle with Emanuele Blandamura.
The 34-year-old Italian has won all 22 of his fights, but only five have come by stoppage. However, rather than indicating that he is a light puncher, it also shows that he has the boxing ability to win bouts, and while he is the underdog for his meeting with Saunders, he will bring something different that the Brit hasn't faced before in his 19-fight career.
However, Saunders can also claim to have the pedigree to go the distance after completing 12 rounds in his last four fights, and if he can gain a stranglehold in this match in the early stages, he is likely to run out a comprehensive winner on points.
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3. Martin Gethin vs. Terry Flanagan
When Martin Gethin lost his British lightweight belt to Derry Mathews earlier this year, it appeared as though the Walsall boxer would have to go back to the drawing board before challenging for the strap for a second time.
However, after Mathews vacated soon after his triumph in Liverpool, Gethin was quickly drafted in to challenge Terry Flanagan, who had earned his shot at the title with two comfortable wins in the first part of 2014.
This contest is arguably the toughest encounter to call on a packed card, and it's one that is likely to go the distance. Gethin has only been stopped once since 2008, by world title challenge Ammeth Diaz, while Gethin has posted just eight stoppages during his 24 matches in the paid ranks.
Flanagan will be the favourite going into the match, but Gethin showed in his loss to Mathews that he could compete hard for 12 rounds and if he can take it into the closing stages, he could edge a decision.
4. Chris Eubank Jr vs. Ivan Jukic
Despite the calls for Chris Eubank Jr to be stepped up in class, the son of former world champion Chris Sr has been handed a relatively routine contest with Croatian Ivan Jukic.
Jukic has won his last two fights inside the opening six minutes, but his previous bout for the European title saw him knocked out midway through the second round and he isn't expected to pose any sort of threat to a fighter who has spent as much time showboating as he has boxing in his matches in 2014.
If, as expected, Eubank Jr comes through unscathed, the pressure will be on Frank Warren to deliver a notable fight for the 24-year-old, and while it may not involve rival Billy Joe Saunders, he needs to be competing for a title at this stage of his career.
Undercard
Liam Smith's British light-middleweight title bout with Jason Welborn tops the rest of the card at the Phones4U Arena, with the Liverpudlian being a huge favourite to extend his unbeaten run to 18 matches.
Smith could find himself matched with Liam Walsh at a later date if Walsh can come through a 10-round contest with Kevin Hooper, who has lost just twice in 20 outings.
American heavyweight Eddie Chambers, who spars with Fury, is also included on the bill, and he will be expected to make light work of Marcelo Luiz Nascimento, who has lost five of his last seven matches.
Darren Plant
