Hughie Fury is ready to step back into the big time and on the road to world level when he faces Pole Mariusz Wach on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old Mancunian (24-3), cousin of world heavyweight king Tyson Fury, meets Wach (36-6) on the undercard of the huge Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev title fight at SSE Arena, Wembley.
Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view and DAZN will screen the show, and Hughie is ready to show what he has learned during the COVID-19 hiatus.
He last fought in March in a defeat of Pavel Sour, and says he has been “living in the gym” since.
"I’m ready for all the serious fights out there, I’ve had vast experience and I belong on the world level. I expect to be knocking on the door for another shot at world honours again very soon.
“I’ve been living in the gym, working on a lot of different aspects of my game, perfecting what I needed to do.
"Everything happens for a reason. You’ve just got to stay patient, and fight whoever they put in front of you. Boxing is about learning and taking fights. If you believe that you are the best, then you will take on anyone and everyone."
Fury’s three professional defeats so far have all come against top heavyweights - former world champions Alexander Povetkin and Joseph Parker, and Joshua’s opponent this weekend, Pulev.
He knows Wach will not provide an easy night, reasoning: "He’s a tough man Mariusz Wach. He’s been in with some great fighters, pretty much everyone, including a world title challenge.
“I’m looking forward to doing a job on him. This is definitely one not to miss. It’s been a while and I’m ready to show what I’m all about.
"Wach brings power and size, you can’t switch off for a second. I want these kind of fights as these fights will help me achieve what I need in boxing.
“I’m expecting a tough fight with Wach. I’ve seen a few of his fights and we’ve done our studying, training and sparring.”
When is Joshua v Pulev?
The fight takes place on Saturday December 12, with ring walks expected some time after 2200 GMT
Where is the fight taking place?
London's SSE Arena in front of a crowd of 1,000 spectators
What are the odds?
Anthony Joshua ranges from a 1/9 favourite to as short as 1/14, with Pulev a best of 7/1
How do I watch it on TV?
The fight and its undercard is being televised live on Sky Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office HD, channels 491 and 492 for Sky subscribers.
The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky's UK customers and €27.95 for those from the Republic of Ireland, up until midnight on Friday December 11.
Thereafter £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) across all "self-service" bookings (remote control / online) and £29.95 / €32.95 (ROI) if booked via the phone (either IVR or agent), with an additional £2 booking fee if via an agent still applies.
The event price will revert back to £24.95 / €27.95 (ROI) from midnight on Saturday December 12.
Two repeat showings (full duration) will be shown at 9am and 4pm on Sunday December 13.
Sky users can sign up here. If you do not have Sky, click here.
Tale of the tape
Anthony Joshua
- Age: 31
- Fights: 24
- Won: 23
- By KO: 21
- Lost: 1
- Drawn: 0
- Rounds: 103
- Height: 6'6"
- Weight: TBC
- Reach: 82"
- Stance: Orthodox
- Nickname: AJ
- Nationality: British
Kubrat Pulev
- Age: 39
- Fights: 29
- Won: 28
- By KO: 14
- Lost: 1
- Drawn: 0
- Rounds: 203
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: TBC
- Reach: 79.5"
- Stance: Orthodox
- Nickname: The Cobra
- Nationality: Bulgarian
What's on the undercard?
- Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev (WBA 'Super', IBF and WBO heavyweight titles)
- Lawrence Okolie vs Nikodem Jezewski (12 rounds at cruiserweight)
- Hughie Fury vs Mariusz Wach (10 rounds at heavyweight)
- Martin Bakole vs Sergey Kuzmin (WBC international heavyweight title)
- Florian Marku vs Alex Fearon (8 rounds at welterweight)
- Kieron Conway vs Macaulay McGowan (10 rounds at super-welterweight)
- Qais Ashfaq vs Ashley Lane (8 rounds at super-bantamweight)