By Terence Dooley

Manchester’s Terry “Turbo” Flanagan (30-0, 12 KOs) meets South Africa’s Mzonke Fana (38-9, 16 early) at the Manchester Arena on July 9 in the third defense of the WBO lightweight title that he won in July of last year.

The bout will serve as the chief support to the World heavyweight championship rematch between defending divisional king Tyson Fury and former ruler Wladimir Klitschko.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than fighting as chief support and right before the lineal heavyweight championship of the world,” said Flanagan. The world will be watching as a fellow Manchester man Tyson Fury aims to show he’s the best heavyweight on the planet once again. “Fana is a two time world champion at super-featherweight, he’s highly experienced, tough and has a very good jab. He will be coming over here looking to take my title but it’s not going to happen,”

Flanagan won the belt via an injury-induced stoppage over Jose Zepeda (TKO 2), but there was skepticism over his world title credentials due to the nature of the win. However, he underlined them by emphatically halting Diego Magdaleno in two last October.

A decision win over Derry Mathews in March strengthened Flanagan’s grip on his world crown and he immediately called for an all-Manchester showdown with WBA World holder Anthony Crolla, who knocked out the dangerous Ismael Barroso in seven last time out to put his own stamp on the division.

Fana comes into the fight on a two-win streak—Xolani Mcotheli (RTD 8 in December) and Vusumzi Bokolo (W TKO 7 in March)—since losing to Hedi Slimani by decision in November. The 42-year-old holds the South African title and was in training for a July 8 vacant WBA International fight against Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe.

Those with long memories will recall that Fana has fought in the U.K. once before, a 12-round decision loss to Dean Pithie for the WBC International Super featherweight title in Dec. ‘99.

Fans may also remember that he was dropped and stopped when meeting Marco Antonio Barrera for the WBC World Super featherweight title back in May 2005, Barrera’s first fight after closing out his trilogy with Erik Morales via a majority decision win the previous November.

The “The Rose of Khayelitsha” has also lost against the likes of Cassius Baloyi (L MD 12 in 2008) and Paulus Moses (L TKO 4 in 2013, only his second stoppage loss) whilst most of his wins have come on home soil. He is currently rated at 12 by the WBO, rendering him eligible for a shot at the title.

The 26-year-old southpaw title-holder will hope that a win and impressive performance against Fana will lead to even more calls for a showdown against Crolla, who is promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom.

Frank Warren, who promotes Flanagan, has insisted that the fight should and can take place if both firms put their heads together, but match-ups between Hearn and Warren’s top stars have been few and far between in recent years.

However, hope springs eternal that, should both keep winning, the presence of two titlists in the same division in the same city will prompt one or both camps to force the issue at some point in 2017.

“There’s going to be 20,000 Mancunians cheering on two of their own in world title fights,” notes Flanagan. “I’m going to pick up where I left off and continue to show everyone that I am the number one lightweight in the world. It’s great to get back home in front of my own fans; especially on such a big bill.

“The Manchester Arena is right on my door step so it’s will be good for my fans; it’s only a five-minute walk from the estate. The atmosphere is going to be something else.”

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