On Friday night, Matchroom Sport hosts its 'All or Nothing' bill at the Echo Arena in Liverpool with a bill that sees two of Merseyside's emerging stars compete in the biggest fight of their careers.
Callum Smith will hope to move closer to a shot at the world title in his encounter with Christopher Rebrasse for the vacant WBC silver title, while super-middleweight rival Rocky Fielding will boost his own ambitions in the world rankings providing that he can see off the challenge of American Brian Vera.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the two main events, as well as assessing the bouts that involve Tony Bellew and Martin Murray.
1. Callum Smith vs. Christopher Rebrasse
Despite competing in the professional ranks for just over two-and-a-half years, Callum Smith has already done enough in his career to suggest that he can become a regular fixture at the top of the 168lbs division. Eight of the Liverpudlian's 16 victories have come by first-round knockout, while he also boasts a win over former world title challenger Nikola Sjekloca.
However, the 25-year-old faces his toughest examination to date on Friday night in the form of former European champion Christopher Rebrasse, an opponent who has never been stopped and made George Groves work for his success last September. The Frenchman doesn't possess the biggest strike-rate as far as knockouts are concerned, but he is durable, won't have any issues going 12 rounds and will force Smith to have to remain alert throughout the contest.
Smith has shown in the past that he has the power to finish a fight early, especially with shots to the body, but while that would make a statement, he and his camp acknowledge that Rebrasse will be a hard nut to crack. With a possible world title chance awaiting next year though, this bout is all about picking up the win for Smith, as well as hoping to relish the opportunity to headline for the first time in front of his home crowd.
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2. Rocky Fielding vs. Brian Vera
After his impressive triumph over Noe Gonzalez Alcoba last summer, Rocky Fielding was forced to sit out the rest of the year through injury, but a strong performance against Brian Vera would recapture the momentum earned from that win. Fielding has sometimes had to play second fiddle to other super-middleweights in Great Britain, but he showed during that encounter that he possessed the punch-power required to make an impact in what is one of the strongest divisions in world boxing.
He still has to prove that he is over the hand injury sustained against Alcoba after failing to stop journeyman Olegs Fedetovs on his return to the ring, but he should have plenty of opportunities to show that he is against an opponent who will want to make this showdown an all-action affair. Many will look to Vera's record and make judgements on him losing nine times in 32 outings, but he has shared the ring with decent company, and wasn't stopped by either Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on two occasions or against Willie Monroe Jr, who recently challenged for Gennady Golovkin's world middleweight title.
Fielding is justifiably a favourite to prevail, but this is a fan-friendly fight and they sometimes produce surprises. Fielding has spoken about being happy to engage in a war, but he must also err on the side of caution and respect Vera. The American has nothing to lose and has come to England to reignite his career, so while Fielding must find a way to discourage Vera early, he should also be wary of a game competitor who will trust his chin to hold out having not been stopped since 2008.
3. Tony Bellew vs. Ivica Bacurin
After defeating Nathan Cleverly in their highly-anticipated rematch last November, Tony Bellew would have already expected to have fought for a cruiserweight world title, but after taking the opportunity to feature in the film Creed, the next instalment of the Rocky series, the 32-year-old must come through with flying colours in what appears to be a tricky meeting with Ivica Bacurin.
The Croatian has been drafted in as a late replacement for Lubos Suda, but Bacurin is considered to be a much tougher opponent. As well as making light work of his last four opponents, Bacurin has also competed at a decent level at heavyweight, going the distance with Francesco Pianeta - who has fought Wladimir Klitschko and will compete for the WBA title in two weeks' time.
Bellew should have enough to wear down his opponent, but Bacurin isn't someone that he can afford to take lightly. His opponent has fought three times since the start of April, while Bellew is fighting on the back of eight months out of the ring. However, while it might take Bellew a couple of rounds to settle, he should possess enough power to stop Bacurin and put himself in line for a shot at the IBF title at the end of the year.
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4. Martin Murray vs. George Beroshvili
In the aftermath of his brave effort against Golovkin in February, Martin Murray spoke about making the move up to 168lbs and after linking up with Matchroom Sport, the signs look good for the St Helens fighter to secure a high-profile fight before the end of 2015, whether that be against IBF champion James DeGale or another big name at super-middleweight.
Firstly though, Murray must come through his first outing at the higher weight class against George Beroshvili. The Brit shouldn't have too many problems against what, on paper, appears to be a limited opponent, but he will need to be alert having seen his return to action brought forward several weeks earlier than he had previously anticipated, while the Georgian has won half of his fights inside the distance, albeit against much lower opposition.
First and foremost, Murray needs to get a win on the board, but this is also an opportunity for him to remind North-West fans, and British supporters in general, that he is one of the best operators in this country. He hasn't fought in England since December 2013, and the North-West since the night of Ricky Hatton's retirement, but a sharp performance this evening would be the first step to elevating himself into an eye-catching contest over the next six months.
Darren Plant
