Leo Atang is just weeks away from making an eagerly-awaited entrance to the heavyweight ranks.

After winning the World Boxing U19 world championship last year, five-time national champion Atang elected to turn professional.

Matchroom won the race to sign the highly sought-after 18-year-old and, on July 5th, he will make his debut on the undercard of the welterweight fight between Jack Catterall and Harlem Eubank in Manchester, England.

As excited as Matchroom are to have secured the services of one of the brightest prospects in world boxing, they are determined not to rush the teenager from York.

"I can't wait for him to get started," Matchroom CEO Frank Smith told The Ring.

"Look at him, he's got all the attributes. He's good looking and a big lump but he's young and going to take a lot of learning.

"We're going to have to take it very slowly with him but, with all of these fighters, when you start on day one with someone you can really build something. We've done it so many times with fighters now and we know where he can get to.

"He's got the ability to get there but it's going to take a lot of work. I'm excited to get the journey started on July 5th with him on a big, big platform."

Although one of boxing’s most well worn clichés is that heavyweights mature later than fighters who campaign in other weight divisions, there are plenty of exceptions to the rule and some of history’s greatest fighters were good enough to win the heavyweight title before their 25th birthday.

Still, the emergence of a young, destructive heavyweight is one of the most exciting storylines professional boxing can provide and Atang is the latest British teenager to turn over with plenty of expectation on their shoulders.

Current IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) turned professional as a big punching 19-year-old whilst Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) finds himself being mentioned in the same breath as the world’s top divisional talents just twelve fights into his career.

As unfair as it may seem, 20-year-old Itauma's rapid progress will inevitably lead to Atang being held to some ridiculously high standards.

Heavyweights are a precious commodity and as confident as Smith is that Atang will eventually reach the sport's summit, he knows how important it is for Matchroom to protect a fighter they believe has the ability and charisma to be a cornerstone of their business for years to come.

"Moses is a tremendous talent and I'm very sure he will become a world champion at some point. I don't think that's far away as well," Smith said.

"Every fighter's journey is different. Heavyweight boxing is a long career. You've got heavyweight fighters fighting into their 40’s, still winning big fights and being involved in big nights.

"I think you can't compare the two. We believe he can go all the way but it's a long journey and this is just the start.

"He'll start in four-rounders. You don't see that as much but he hasn't had a huge amateur career and we've got to build him the right way, especially in heavyweight boxing.

"It's unlike anything else. You can't sort of jump through it too quickly. I think he's got to be built the right way and that's our job to do.”