By Shaun Brown

They both put in disappointing performances against British starlet Lawrence Okolie, now Isaac Chamberlain (9-1, 4 KOs) and Luke ‘The Duke’ Watkins look set to square off against one another in a crunch cruiserweight contest next month.

Chamberlain and Watkins are being lined up to fight for the vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight title, recently dropped by Okolie, on October 27 at the Copper Box, London on a Matchroom Boxing promotion filled with intriguing domestic dust-ups.

Chamberlain vs. Okolie would be led by Ted Cheeseman against Asinia Byfield for the vacant British light middleweight title as well as Ryan Walsh and Isaac Lowe going again for the former’s British featherweight title. And also at 126lbs Ryan Doyle will defend his Commonwealth title against Jordan Gill.

Chamberlain and Watkins both tangled with Okolie in February and June of this year respectively. Chamberlain’s grudge match with his fellow Londoner, which did huge gate numbers at the O2 Arena, for a fight of its magnitude featuring two relative novices, ended in a comfortable ten round points decision for Okolie in a lacklustre affair. Watkins put his Commonwealth title on the line, in his second defence, against the 2016 Olympian at York Hall in the summer only to be dispatched of in the third round with his adversary proving far too powerful on the night.

“All I know at this point is we’ve agreed and signed off for Duke to fight him. Eddie [Hearn] said he wanted it Oct 27,” said Watkins’ trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick answering a question about Chamberlain on Twitter.

A tweet that was swiftly responded to by Chamberlain, now trained by Jorge Rubio, who replied by saying “I’ve agreed and signed two weeks ago. See you soon.”

The fight certainly provides an opportunity at redemption for both men and to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with at domestic level in Britain.

Their conqueror, Okolie (9-0, 7 KOS), now has sights set on British honours as he moves forward to face British champion Matty Askin on the Anthony Joshua-Alexander Povetkin Sky Box Office pay-per-view card at Wembley Stadium on September 22.

Twitter @sbrown2pt0