LUKE ‘The Duke’ Watkins is out to prove he is one of the best cruiserweights in the country as he prepares to take on Isaac Chamberlain at London’s Copper Box Arena.

The two men will come face-off on the undercard of John Ryder's bout against Andrey Sirotkin in the capital on October 27.

Both Chamberlain and Watkins have a solitary defeat on their professional records, as they were both beaten by Lawrence Okolie.

Chamberlain fared slightly better, his fight with the Commonwealth champion went the distance, while Watkins was stopped in the third round at York Hall back in June.

The fight comes as the second instalment of a two-fight deal with promotional company Matchroom after the 28-year-old from Swindon lost out to Okolie.

Eager to put the loss behind him, Watkins wants to prove he is one of the best and believes a showdown with Chamberlain

“I understand that sometimes you have to fight men to stay busy but I don’t need to do that if I can get the right fights,” said Watkins.

“By right fights, I mean names. People who are ranked by the British fight fans, I will fight those people because I don’t need to go backwards.

“I deem myself to be one of the best in the country, so let’s see me fight the rest of the fighters who people deem the best.

“Then we will see who is the best, that is how boxing should be.

“It’s a pleasure to be on the card with the boys, there are some great names on there.”

The bout itself raised some eyebrows as many expected Watkins to ease back into the sport with a less troubling opponent.

The same was said about Chamberlain, especially as he has not boxed since his defeat to Okolie in February.

However, Watkins believes that shows the character of both him and his counterpart as he reiterated his need to make progress.

He said: “I think it speaks volumes about who we both are. I’m willing to take this fight, he’s willing to take this fight.

“I don’t want to go and fight journey men, I want to stay on this stage and I will fight anyone and everyone on this stage.”