Carl Frampton bids to claim a world title in a third weight division when he returns to the ring on Saturday February 27.
‘The Jackal’ will challenge WBO super-featherweight king Jamel Herring in London, live on BT Sport.
Frampton-Herring had initially been scheduled to take place last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to that plan.
Now though the 33-year-old Belfast star (28-2 with 16 wins inside distance) will finally get the chance to add a belt to the ones he has already claimed at super-bantamweight and featherweight.
The Hall of Fame game
He said: “I'm delighted to finally get a date nailed down for this fight that has now been talked about for over a year.
“I have the utmost respect for Jamel as a fighter and as a man, but there is nobody stopping me on becoming the island of Ireland’s only ever three-weight world champ, one of Britain's only ever three-weight world champions and potentially have one foot in the Hall of Fame.”
Frampton stayed busy last year after the Herring delay by defeating Darren Traynor via a seventh-round stoppage in London in August. And promoter Frank Warren is delighted his man now gets that long-awaited shot at more world-title glory.
For the Hall of Fame promoter it is the first big night of what promises to be a huge year - there is the small matter of a potential Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua superfight currently being lined up for late May or early June.
Warren said: "Carl has been and is a tremendous ambassador for the sport and his huge following is testament to the qualities he shows in and out of the ring. The only downside to this fight coming about now is that he will be going into battle without his legion of Belfast fans roaring him on.
"For Carl to become a three-weight world champion would really be something else and in many ways a fitting finale to a magnificent career, although it might not quite be the end of the story.”
Herring primed for big night
It is a huge night too for the 35-year-old Herring (22-2), who crosses the Atlantic for the biggest fight of his career to date.
He said: “I’m really excited that the fight is finally happening, more importantly it’ll be an honour to share the ring with a true warrior, and class act such as Carl Frampton. It may be the biggest fight of my career to date, but I’ll be more than ready for the task ahead.
“There’s a lot on the line, and I know he’s aiming to make history, but he’ll have to wait another day, because I plan on returning home with my title in hand.
“I’ve been training very hard for this fight, and went back to what got me to my world title from sparring the likes of Terence Crawford and other top talent across the nation. I can’t wait to put on a great show!”
