Redhill boxer Ben Davies will make the first defence of his Queensbury Middleweight title in Surrey next month.

Mechanic Davies, who won the title last month, will face his old rival, Mark Shrubb, from Farnborough, in the ring at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Saturday, April 19.

Having seen his profile raised dramatically with his title-winning exploits shown across the country on sports channel British Eurosport, Davies, 24, said: “ This is a fight I cannot afford to lose, and even though I’ve already beaten Shrubb, it's still going to be a tough fight - but one I’m very confident of winning.”

The pair last faced each other last October, when Davies emerged the victor after three hard-fought rounds.

He said: “When we met last year, it was my first fight back in the Queensbury Boxing League and I was keen to impress, as it’s always a big occasion boxing on this stage.

“And in the final round of the fight he did start to pick me off, which has probably given him confidence coming into this fight.”

He continued: “Training-wise, everything is going really well, and we’ve got a great atmosphere going on down at the gym now, with everyone working hard, so I’m aiming to put on another big performance for all my fans.”

Over the past couple of years, Davies has become one of the most popular boxers on the circuit.

Now with a sizeable following of fans, the Redhill native hopes they will again turn out in force for him on his important night.

“The support I got for my last fight was amazing and having the crowd behind me chanting my name means everything to me,” he said.

“So hopefully, for this fight, they will all be back and maybe a few more new fans will be there to support a local lad doing well for the area.”

Davies' first defence of his Middleweight title will feature on the undercard of the league’s big Easter weekend promotion being held in the Oaks Arena at the Epsom Downs Racecourse.

For more information on the full line-up visit: www.queensburyboxing.co.uk