It will see European light heavyweight champion Bradley Rea defend his belt against fellow Mancunian Lyndon Arthur in a contest which will carry major implications for the future.

Arthur is no stranger to major matchups, both on the domestic and world scene.

Many fans will remember his trilogy with Anthony Yarde, which came to an end in April with Yarde winning the third and decisive contest.

Arthur has also been a world title challenger when he faced WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol two years ago in a fight which Arthur would lose by unanimous decision.

It is a common trend in Arthur’s career that whenever he steps up on to the big stage, he struggles to deliver with the sole victory against Yarde in 2020 being the only time Arthur has got a major victory.

Whenever two Mancunians are set to square off in the ring, the city’s rich football heritage will play part in the build-up, and the upcoming clash between Rea and Arthur is no different.

With Rea and Arthur supporting City and United respectively, Arthur is enjoying the extra ‘spice’ the inter-city rivalry will bring to this European title fight whilst not letting it distract him from the task at hand.

“I think it puts a little bit more fun into it, a bit more spice into the fight,” Arthur told DAZN News in an exclusive interview.

“But really it’s just all about the fight, I don’t buy into all that.”

The European title may not carry the importance it once had, but the purple belt is one that can open doors for exciting opportunities in the future.

After stumbling against the likes of Yarde and Bivol over recent years, it feels like it’s all-or-nothing for Arthur.

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Both Arthur and Rea have experienced the hardship the sport of boxing can inflict, and the former is aware that a loss is likely to bring his boxing career to an end.

“I leave myself in a sticky situation if I don’t win this fight,” Arthur said.

“This is why I’m not going to show him any respect that I’ve shown him in past training camps.”

Two Manchester fighters, a City-United rivalry, the European light heavyweight clash between Rea and Arthur has the potential to be a barnstormer at the Co-Op Live.

This is not just because there is a major title at stake, but also because Arthur knows that if he loses, then any hope of being a respected name in a stacked domestic light heavyweight scene will evaporate into the Manchester air.

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