Matty Fagan’s revenge plans have been shelved – but his disappointment has been tempered with a potential title shot.

Fagan tops the bill at the new Cheshire Oaks Arena on July 25 when he meets Newark’s Adam Kettleborough in an eliminator for the English lightweight belt.

Andrei Podusov, who ended Fagan’s unbeaten record last October, had been lined up for a rematch but the Latvian pulled out with just over three weeks to go before the fight.

Fagan said: “The plan all along has been for me to fight Podusov and his name’s been on the board in the gym as motivation but we got a phone call to say he wasn’t coming because he was going to be on holiday.

“I think it’s worked out well for me though because now I’ve got Kettleborough and it’s going to be an eliminator so in another two or three fights I could be boxing for a title.

"Kettleborough’s manager rang matchmaker Jay McClory looking for a lightweight for his man and he said to him ‘I’ve got Matty Fagan looking for an opponent so let’s put them together’.

“I think it’s a tougher fight because he’s won eight from nine, he’s got a bit more experience than me and he’s done the rounds; he’s been eight rounds three times.”

'The plan is boxing, boxing, boxing for this one'

Fagan had been scheduled to face Podusov in an eight-rounder but his bout with Kettleborough will be over 10 rounds.

The 27-year-old has never gone past six so he and trainer Anthony ‘Arnie’ Farnell have been working extra hard to prepare for the longer duration.

Fagan said: “We’ve had to step things up so I’m a bit more tired than usual but I’ll be fine with a couple of days rest before the fight. I’ve been doing extra sparring and because most of the lads in the gym are unbeaten and looking to make a name for themselves then there’s no holding back.

“The plan is boxing, boxing, boxing for this one. Arnie has told me he knows I can fight but he wants me to show I can box too because you can’t fight for 10 rounds.

"The camp has gone really well so far. I sometimes have a few problems with my hands but I’ve had none this time and I can’t wait for it.”