CONFIRMED: Leigh Park's Mickey Parker gets his big shot at good friend Carl Hobley to be crowned BKB cruiserweight world champion

The Leigh Park bare-knuckle boxer's huge cruiserweight world title shot at Bournemouth-based belt holder Carl Hobley has now been confirmed for the 02 Indigo and the BKB 25 show on April 10.

It's an intriguing contest which will bring together two good friends for the right to walk away with such a huge honour.

Such is the relationship between Parker, 39, and Hobley, the pair are even sparring each other this weekend as they ramp up preparations for their huge world title meeting.

While they spent time together while attending the BKB 24 show at the 02 Indigo just last weekend in the days leading up to the cruiserweight world title contest announcement.

Parker insists it’s a friendship which will remain right up until fight night and in the immediate aftermath - but he admitted the only thing on both their minds during their seven-round ding-dong will be getting the better of one another.

‘We’re good friends and have been for a number of years. I know Carl really well and he’ll be coming down for some sparring on Saturday,’ revealed Parker.

‘He actually said to me a few weeks back, ‘you’re not going to do anything different that I haven’t seen before the fight and neither am I,’ - I don’t see any problem with sparring him in the build-up to the fight. We’ve sparred together so many times through the years.

‘We spent time in each other’s company at the weekend (for the BKB 24 show), we’ll be friends before and friends again after the fight. It’s just for the seven rounds we’ll both be battling for the title.

‘He’s said that if anyone was to take his title he would rather it be a friend and I’m the same, I’d rather see a friend with the title than someone else.’

Parker, with a 7-2 BKB record from his nine fights, is the reigning English cruiserweight champion following his dramatic knock-out victory over Dave Thomas back in August.

Now he has a date and shot confirmed to achieve a life-long ambition of becoming a world title holder in just under three months.