BRADLEY Rea has replaced fellow British light-heavyweight Shakan Pitters in an intriguing clash against European champion Daniel Blenda Dos Santos this Friday.
It was announced by GBM Sports promoter Izzy Asif just yesterday that Pitters had been forced to withdraw from his main event slot after being taken to hospital.
The details of his condition remain unclear, though the 35-year-old has nonetheless promised to revisit his European title shot after making a full recovery.
In the meantime, Rea, 20-1 (10 KOs), has been drafted in on short notice to rescue Asif’s show at the York Hall in London, England.
The 27-year-old was supposed to feature on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s light-heavyweight rematch in February, but an injury to his opponent ultimately scuppered his opportunity to shine on the big stage.
While campaigning down at middleweight, ‘The Sting’ amassed a string of impressive victories over the likes of Lee Cutler and Jez Smith, before suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Tyler Denny in 2022.
But now, at a more natural weight of 175lbs, the Lancashire man looks to claim his first title in the professional ranks against Dos Santos.
Despite remaining unbeaten ever since, Dos Santos is perhaps best known for his fourth-round stoppage loss to Joshua Buatsi back in 2021.
And yet, while it will be interesting to see how the last-minute matchup unfolds, this weekend’s show could quite easily be stolen by several fights on the undercard.
British and Commonwealth super-flyweight champion Emma Dolan, for instance, will enter an appealing dustup with Lauren Parker, while former world title challenger Hughie Fury, too, is back in action against Dan Garber.
