Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Frazer Clarke will now face Romanian heavyweight Bogdan Dinu in Manchester on Saturday.
Clarke was initially set to face America’s Rydell Booker at the AO Arena before the latter pulled out on Monday through illness ‘following a severe medical incident’.
Dinu has shared the ring with the likes of Daniel Dubois, Kubrat Pulev, Kevin Lerena and Jarrell Miller, albeit losing on all four occasions.
The 36 year old is however expected to offer a sterner challenge than the opponents Clarke has faced in his first five outings.
The Burton-upon-Trent man turned pro in February last year after securing bronze at the Tokyo Olympics the previous summer.
Four stoppage victories have followed since, with respected journeyman Kamil Sokolowski the only man to take Clarke the distance so far.
The Brit has however faced criticism for the level of opponents faced in his first 12 months as a pro.
Clarke told Sky Sports: “It’s been an up-and-down start to my career with the change of opponents. It’s happened three or four times now out of five fights. So it’s not been ideal.
The 31 year old remains optimistic that Dinu will pose a greater challenge for him this weekend in the North-West.
“This is heavyweight boxing. It’s dangerous. Especially this guy at short notice. It’s up to me to be professional, which I am, go in there and do my job. I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s up to me to be professional, which I am, go in there and do my job. I’m looking forward to it.”
The card is headlined by WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie‘s mandatory defence against New Zealand’s David Light.
Michael Gomez Jnr also takes on Levi Giles for the vacant English super-featherweight title.
Featured image: Lawrence Lustig/BOXXER.
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