Two weeks after outpointing Sam Gilley to claim the British and Commonwealth junior middleweight titles, Ishmael Davis already has his next assignment booked.

The 30-year-old will make the first defence of his newly minted belts against English champion Bilal Fawaz (10-1-1, 3 KOs) as part of the Leigh Wood-Josh Warrington II undercard in Nottingham come February 21.

The confirmation came on Matchroom's post-fight show, Small Talk, as the pair engaged in a pre-planned backstage segment from a burger van minutes after Ben Whittaker's vicious first-round knockout of Benjamin Gavazi.

Fawaz sat ringside and gets his wish to box for the famed Lonsdale belt, just four months after his 10-round majority decision upset win over Davis' ex-sparring partner, Junaid Bostan, in their rematch. 

After rehabbing from a training camp injury that saw his matchup with Ryan Kelly collapse, Davis (15-3, 6 KOs) has maintained the sort of active schedule that makes people take note.

He fell short during a much-anticipated matchup with WBA's No. 3-rated contender Caoimhin Agyarko (18-0, 7 KOs) on the Lewis Crocker-Paddy Donovan II undercard in September. 

That remains a sore point of contention for him, two months on, though he's insisted his Gilley scalp at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month is the "end of the beginning."

He told Matchroom's Jamie Moore: "It feels good to be British champion, know it's an achievement but this is where the fun starts, I'm looking forward to the future. I understand there's a long way to go and I'll achieve everything I believe."

Without mentioning Fawaz by name, he said he'll be facing "a character, good opponent and another person I believe I'm better than, so I'll show just that on February 21," before the older man emerged, with a WWE-style introduction as he grinned on camera. 

"You're British champion but not for long, I promise you," Fawaz insisted. 

They then traded thinly veiled jabs, Fawaz intimating Davis lacks the intelligence needed to outsmart him - "just a muscle fighter" - while reminding the Leeds man of his previous defeats. 

"Junaid is better than you, everyone knows that, look what I did to him. Imagine what I'll do to you, you need to step aside otherwise I'll finish your career, I'm not joking dude, I've never wanted to hurt someone so badly," Fawaz continued.

Davis couldn't stop laughing and the pair shook hands before posing for photographs as well as a first face-off.