Bradley Rea is counting down the days until February 19th when he'll fulfil a dream fighting in front of a sold-out crowd in Manchester.
The 11-0 middleweight is set for his second fight at the AO Arena, having beaten Pavol Garaj there in 2020, but this time there will be no restrictions on attendance.
A packed crowd will be cheering on their hometown fighter as part of the undercard of Amir Khan's fiercely-anticipated grudge match against Kell Brook.
And while it's the main event that will attract all the headlines, it's also a huge occasion for Rea as he continues his charge in the middleweight scene - and it's a moment he can box off his bucket list.
“I can’t put it into words, it’s been a goal of mine since I was a little kid to box at a sold out Manchester Arena," he told MEN Sport.
"I’ve been there on so many occasions watching the fighters that I used to look up to, the likes of Anthony [Crolla], Ricky [Hatton], people like that. Every time I went I was thinking ‘it’s going to be me one day’ and I’m finally there, it means the world to me and hopefully the crowd is going to be bouncing and cheering me on.
“It’s a real fighting city Manchester, you’ve seen in the past the way they get behind their own. When you’re in the arena and you’ve got a Manc on, it’s an unbelievable atmosphere and for me, I wouldn’t want to box anywhere else in the world, that’s it for me, that’s the pinnacle.
“Hopefully I can keep building, you see that the fans want to get behind those fighters and hopefully I can be one of those fighters that they want to get behind.”
Rea is set for another tough test on his first appearance of the year, tackling undefeated Irish fighter Craig McCarthy in a bout he believes continues to show he isn't afraid of taking hard challenges.
“The Jez Smith fight, although he’s had a few losses, he’s boxed at a very high level, he’s been in there with some very good fighters and I’d probably say the Smith fight was my hardest.
"It just shows my mentality, I’m not afraid to get in with these lads where the risk of losing is there, I’m showing it again going in again with another undefeated lad and I think it brings out the best in me, so hopefully I can show that again.”
