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Brad Pauls is looking forward to a “massive opportunity” after being being pitted against WBO global middleweight champion Shakiel Thompson.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 32-year-old former British middleweight champion<\/a> will face the unbeaten Thompson from Sheffield in Manchester on 26 January on the undercard of Moses Itauma’s fight with Jermaine Franklin.<\/p>\n It means Pauls’ planned fight in Bristol<\/a> later this month has been cancelled.<\/p>\n The Cornish boxer lost his Lonsdale belt to Denzel Bentley<\/a> last December but has fought once since then, beating Panamanian journeyman Omir Rodriguez in Torquay in May.<\/p>\n “I’ve got a massive opportunity which will change my life, will get me a world ranking and it’s back on a Queensbury show,” Pauls said in a video on X., external<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n “The sensible thing to do after speaking to my team is to jump off the show on 22 November in Bristol, just in case I get injured or get cut and lose the opportunity for the massive fight in Manchester.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n