Patience is a virtue.

It's had to be for Spanish junior welterweight Jon Fernandez.

"JonFer" had been in line to fight, on more than one occasion, for the European title, only for champions to look the other way.

Finally, on Saturday, he will get that opportunity when he meets Armando Casamonica for the vacant belt at the Pabellón de La Casilla, Bilbao, Spain.

"It has been a frustrating year, but one of learning of knowing how to deal with the fact that these things happen in boxing," Fernandez (27-3, 22 KOs) told The Ring.

"It has also helped me to understand how the big names in the division see me, and they see me as a dangerous opponent, as neither Dalton Smith nor Pierce O'Leary have wanted to fight me. But looking on the bright side, I'm sure all this waiting and suffering will be good for my future career."

The 30-year-old Bilbao native decamped to Madrid to train under Nicolás González, who had coached him for the past three years, to prepare for his Italian challenger.

"I leave the technical and strategic side of things to my coach and my team," he said calmly. "Casamonica is a strong, fierce boxer, who always goes on the offensive. What's more, it's a crucial fight for both of us, which is always good for the fans."

Back in July, it looked as though Fernandez would secure a fight with Pierce O'Leary.

However, when terms couldn’t be agreed, his promoter PCI Promociones won the purse bid with a bid of €158,888,00 (£137,95,00 or $185,62,00) beating out Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, who bid €101,000.

That prompted O’Leary to vacate and saw Fernandez matched with Casamonica.

"I always try to focus on training without paying too much attention to my opponent, until the last three weeks," he said. "Interestingly, I think O'Leary and Casamonica have very similar styles, and I don't think the change of opponent will affect me."

He will be strongly backed by fervent home support on Saturday.

"Fighting in Bilbao for the European championship is finally a dream come true, and I am eager to win that belt in front of my fans," he said. "I have to thank PCI Promotions for their efforts in bringing this belt to Bilbao.

"What's more, the fight will take place at La Casilla, the oldest boxing venue in Spain, where boxing events have been held since the 1960s, and where I won my first professional championship, the WBC Youth title."

Fernandez manager and promoter, Oscar Zardain, welcomed showdowns with the bigger name British and Irish fighters for his client but they weren't forthcoming, he was able to secure a significant title, which he hopes will set Fernandez on a path towards a world title.

"We would have loved to fight Smith or O'Leary, even in their backyards, but in the end, it wasn't possible," said Zardain. "Casamonica is a top-level opponent and it will be a European championship fight in every sense of the word.

"Jon is ranked No. 12 on the WBC rankings, and I hope that by winning he will go straight into the top eight."

Casamonica turned professional in December 2020. The 25-year-old holds victories over Patrizio Santini (TKO10) and Gianluca Picardi (UD10) but fell short via 10-round majority decision against WBA's No. 2-ranked lightweight Lucas Bahdi on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard last November.

He eked past Charlemagne Metonyekpon during his Roma homecoming on May 30, earning a split decision nod in his first 12-round contest.