Fresh from career-best victories for both men, Southern Area middleweight champion
Jimmy Sains will box
Troy Coleman in a final English title eliminator as part of the Kieron Conway-George Liddard bill at York Hall on Oct. 17.
English champion
Linus Udofia (21-2, 10 KOs) makes the first title defence of his second reign against PA Gordon (9-0, 1 KO) next month at the same venue, come September 13.
Sains (10-0, 9 KOs) had his vaunted knockout streak stopped at nine last time out,
going the 10-round distance against Kent spoiler Gideon Onyenani (7-5-1) on the Johnny Fisher-Dave Allen 2 undercard in May.
Onyenani, who had challenged Bilal Fawaz for the Southern Area title 18 months earlier, had far more professional experience than Essex southpaw Sains and utilised it effectively to stifle the 24-year-old's better work.
Nonetheless, he lost every round on Michael Alexander's card (100-90), while Marcus McDonnell (100-91) gave him a share of one round and Lee Every (98-92) scored two rounds in the older man's favour during a wide 10-round decision loss.
Three weeks later, he frustrated Commonwealth champion
Sam Gilley into an eight-round split draw on short-notice in Ipswich and now, Sains gets ample preparation time before facing another experienced foe in Coleman.
Staffordshire's Coleman (14-3-1, 6 KOs) was a narrow decision winner beyond 12-0 pro Tom Cowling to win the Midlands Area title in September 2024, before defending it with a
seventh-round stoppage win over Bradley Goldsmith on April 20.
Coleman, who began his career on the small-hall circuit with four-round contests galore in Walsall, has parlayed unlikely success into consecutive appearances on big shows. Boxxer hosted his bout with Goldsmith at Birmingham's bp pulse LIVE Arena and now, he'll head down to the city's capital for Matchroom's first post-pandemic event at the famed York Hall.
Hearn's last show there was headlined by Richard Riakporhe-Jack Massey for the British cruiserweight title, where Conway featured on the undercard. Two months shy of six full years since then, at the weight class above, it's come full circle for the Northampton man.
Sains and his gymmate
George Liddard have almost always shared cards together under head coach Tony Sims - the same happens again in two months' time.
Elsewhere, there's a point to prove for both
Shannon Ryan (9-1, 1 KO) and former European flyweight champion
Chloe Watson (8-1) as the pair prepare for an intriguing contest - weight and rounds not yet announced - while 20-year-old middleweight talent
Emmanuel Buttigieg stays busy after a pair of stoppage victories in six-rounders over April and May.