Gavin Rees will travel abroad for the first time in his 13-year career when he defends his European lightweight title.
The one-time WBA light-welterweight champion will travel to Paris to tackle former holder Anthony Mezaache in front of his home town fans on March 23.
Rees won the vacant strap with a one-sided points victory over Andy Murray in June and retained the title against Derry Matthews in October.
The 31-year-old's fight with Matthews ended in a technical draw after the Liverpudlian sustained a broken nose following an accidental clash of heads in the fourth round.
Mezzache won the EBU strap when he battled back from a first-round knock down to defeat John Thaxton in 2009 and gave up the title after defending it once.
The 33-year-old won the WBA Inter-Continental and IBF International belts in April at the same Paris venue and followed up in December with a first-round win to take his record to 21 wins in 30 fights.
"Gavin has been in the gym on and off since the Mathews fight," said Rees' trainer Gary Lockett.
"The Gavin Rees of old is long gone. He's grown up a lot and he knows that being out of the gym when you haven't got a fight is not my way.
"So he's been training hard and he looks in fantastic shape - I wish the fight was this week really as he looks superb. But we will be very ready for March 23 and it's going to be a great occasion to fight in France."
