Guillermo Rigondeaux to fight Jazza Dickens in Liverpool

Guillermo Rigondeaux, one of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighters, will fight in Britain for the first time when he takes on Jazza Dickens on March 12.

The Cuban will head to Liverpool's Echo Arena to box Merseyside's Dickens in a 10-round bout on the undercard of Terry Flanagan's WBO lightweight title defence against Derry Mathews.

Former unified super-bantamweight champion Rigondeaux (16-0 KO10) was stripped of his belts after a period of inactivity but returned to the ring in November and is now in a position to face Carl Frampton or Scott Quigg, whose unification fight is live on Sky Sports Box Office on February 27.

I hope the British audience appreciates my skills when I'm done with James.

The 35-year-old said: "I really look forward fighting this young up and comer in Dickens. I hear he's very good, but I'm going to have to disappoint his hometown fans and teach him a lesson in boxing.

"I hope the British audience appreciates my skills when I'm done with James.

"I'm looking forward to making my British debut at a time where there is great boxing in Europe, especially in my division. I'm excited to come out and give my best and deliver a world-class performance to the fans.

"Frampton and Quigg are both cowards for finding ways to avoid the best in their division.

"We wait in anticipation to see if the winner of a great fight between them would step up and step in the ring with me, so the whole world can see who the best 122lb fighter is."

British champion Dickens added: "It is like a Rocky story, one day I'm just training waiting for my next fight and then I get a call, do I want to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux? Are you mad, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world wants to fight me? Not half, I'll definitely have some of that!

"Opportunities like this don't come around every day so I've grabbed it with both hands.

"He might not have the belts, but he's still the world champion in my eyes. Frampton and Quigg both didn't want to know him, but what they see as a threat, I see as an opportunity. We've all got weaknesses and Rigondeaux will have his, it's my job to go out an exploit them and beat him."