Scott Quigg will face Kiko Martinez on July 18 at the Manchester Arena after talks over his possible showdown with Carl Frampton broke down yet again.
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Quigg will defend his WBA super-bantamweight title for a sixth time, and he will do so against a man who Frampton has fought twice with the second encounter resulting in the Northern Irishman taking the IBF belt.
Naturally, Quigg will hope to put on even better performance with his rival being taken the distance and winning on points, and so a stoppage win on July 18 would certainly grab Frampton’s attention.
However, the disappointment of the British duo being unable to agree on terms continues to frustrate fans, with promoter Eddie Hearn going as far as offering the ‘Jackal’ £1.5m on live television in a bid to get him to agree to the fight.
He has been forced to assess other options for his fighter which has led him to Martinez, with the Spaniard returning to the ring for only the second time since his defeat to Frampton.
Both men will therefore be fresh heading into the bout, with Quigg successfully recovering from a hand injury which has forced him out of the ring since his last outing back in November in Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Hearn revealed that heavyweight star Anthony Joshua would also feature on the card as he continues his ascent up the rankings, but it remains to be seen if Quigg can come through his next test which would keep hopes alive of a showdown with his domestic rival either later in the year or next summer.
Quigg went out to Belfast for Frampton’s last fight against Chris Avalos, and so it would come as no surprise if the Northern Irishman returned the favour this time round.
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