Boxing is back behind closed doors on Saturday when Dec Spelman returns to the ring after just six weeks away to face Anthony Yarde in a light-heavyweight 10-rounder.
Spelman lost a unanimous decision to Lyndon Arthur on July 31, and though he once again goes in as the underdog against Yarde, he is widely tipped to test the Londoner in a long fight as he did in his last showing.
Yarde hasn't fought since a brisk stoppage of Colombia's Diego Jair Ramirez on Feb. 8 in Madrid, before he became one of many boxers to have their plans stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
His only professional defeat came in a step up to challenge then-WBO light-heavy champion Sergey Kovalev in his native Russia last August.
Yarde is expected to challenge Arthur for his Commonwealth title if he does what Arthur did and defeats Spelman.
“The people want explosive action and knockouts so I will not be hiding behind my jab and sending everyone to sleep," commented Yarde on the bout.
“This will be all about me reminding people that I am the force of the division and I am heading right back to the top where I intend to dominate and reign for a long time to come.
“I respect Dec Spelman as a fighter but this is the chance for me to show everyone what they can expect when I get to share a ring with Lyndon Arthur.”
Spelman found himself frustrated by Arthur's technical game, but expects a fight more to his liking on Saturday.
“If Yarde comes to fight then so much the better for me," he explained.
"Lyndon made our fight a technical affair that I was disappointed I couldn't really get to grips with, so if Yarde wants some action then bring it on.
"I will actually be his first test at domestic level so we will see how he looks on the night.”
Anthony Yarde vs. Dec Spelman fight date, start time
- Date: Saturday, September 12
- Time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. EST
- Main event: 10 p.m. BST/5 p.m. EST
The card kicks off at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. EST) on Saturday, Sept. 12, and although Yarde and Spelman's ring walks are expected around 10 p.m. BST (5 p.m. EST), it will depend on how long the undercard runs
Yarde vs. Spelman TV channel, live stream
The card will be shown live, exclusive and in full on BT Sport 1 in the U.K. It will not be televised in the U.S., but can be streamed via the BT Sport app.
Where is the Yarde vs. Spelman fight?
The event takes place behind closed doors at BT Sport's studios in Stratford, London.
Yarde vs. Spelman card
- Anthony Yarde vs. Dec Spelman, 10 rounds at light heavyweight
- Mark Heffron vs. Denzel Bentley, 10 rounds for the IBF European middleweight title
- Nathan Gorman vs. Richard Lartey, 10 rounds at heavyweight
- Cedrick Peynaud vs. Ekow Essuman, 10 rounds for the IBF European welterweight title
- Amin Jahanzeb vs. TBA, 6 rounds at featherweight
- Mohammad Bilal Ali vs. TBA, 4 rounds at lightweight
- Joshua Frankham vs. TBA, 4 rounds at junior middleweight