Michael Brodie has been installed as a slight underdog for Saturday's mouth-watering rematch with Injin Chi in Manchester by big-fight sponsors Done Bookmakers.

Local hero Brodie and Korean hard-man Chi will again do battle for the WBC featherweight title at the MEN Arena following their epic draw last October.

The first encounter was voted 2003 Fight of the Year, marred only by farcical scenes after the final bell which saw Chi originally declared the winner before it emerged that the scores had been added up incorrectly.

Most expect this weekend's second leg to be just as close, although Chi has been the best supported in the early exchanges according to Fred Done.

He said: "I originally made Chi 4/5 favourite to win but all the early money has gone his way and I now make him an 8/11 shot, with Brodie at 11/10 and a repeat of the draw at 20/1.

"A lot of the clever boys were on early on and I expect there to be sustained support for the Korean.

"But it will be an extremely tight contest and I expect that Brodie's thousands of fans will back their man with hard cash over the next few days."

Promoter Barry Hearn is just pleased to see the close odds justify his billing of the bout as "a real fight, for a real title, with a real opponent".

Hearn could not resist a cheeky jibe at last weekend's mismatch between Ricky Hatton and late replacement Dennis Pederson as he opened the press conference by saying: "We have actually brought along the opponent shown on the poster."

But in a more serious tone, he added: "For once you won't pick up the Racing Post and see 25/1 on and 10/1 against for the two fighters.

"Frankly, boxing does not need 25/1 on shots. If we are trying to kill the game, we are doing a great job of it.

"Boxing needs even-money fights. It needs to be said over and over again, this is the only way boxing is going to come through a period of credibility problems with the general public."

One man who will not be complaining that Brodie is the less fancied is his manager Jack Trickett who vowed: "I know he can do it and I am going to get my 10 grand back off Fred from the last fight."