When the potential great match-ups of an exciting 2008 were being weighed up at the start of the year, few would have expected Gary Lockett to be included. But Lockett, one of the lesser lights of Enzo Calzaghe's gym in South Wales, will sign today for his dream bout against Kelly Pavlik, the world middleweight champion.

Lockett holds the lightly regarded WBU title, but despite having lost only once in 31 bouts, to Yuri Tsarenko - a defeat he avenged - it seemed, at 31, that he would never get his shot at the big time. But Lockett's chance will come when he challenges Pavlik for his WBC and WBO titles on June 7 at the historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Mike Tyson unified the world heavyweight title by knocking out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in 1988.

It was the boom in British boxing and the achievements of Joe Calzaghe, his training partner, that worked in Lockett's favour when Bob Arum, Pavlik's promoter, was looking for an opponent. Originally John Duddy, the Northern Irishman who boxes out of New York, had been pencilled in for the date, until he was badly cut in his previous bout last month.

In stepped Lockett, the fortuitous holder of the WBO's No1 ranking, whose career seemed to have stagnated over the past few years. Pavlik, whose knockout win over Jermain Taylor to win the titles last year marked him out as a potential superstar in the United States, will be an overwhelming favourite, but Lockett is not without a chance, according to Frank Warren, his promoter.

“He can punch and Pavlik doesn't have the best of defences,” Warren said. “But it's a great opportunity for him. Now it's up to him to do the rest.”

Ricky Hatton's popularity shows no sign of slipping, despite his first career defeat by Floyd Mayweather Jr in December, to judge from the amazing sale of tickets for his homecoming bout against Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24. Only 2,000 of the 55,000 tickets are left five days after they went on sale. No tickets are available for less than £150 and those left are expected to be sold in the next 48 hours.

“It has been incredible,” Frank Maloney, who is promoting the show, said. “People said we wouldn't sell well in the outdoors in Manchester in May, but this just goes to show how popular Ricky is.”

Paulie Malignaggi, the IBF light- welterweight champion from New York, is expected to be defending his title on the undercard with a view to facing Hatton at Madison Square Garden in the autumn.

Alex Arthur's WBO super-featherweight title bout against Joan Guzmán, has been confirmed for May 3 at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh.

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