By Elliot Foster

Glenn Foot could have been fighting for revenge on his ring return –– but he is likely to be in a routine outing instead.

The Commonwealth super-lightweight champion had been mandated to defend his crown against Josh Leather, with Eddie Hearn hoping to put it on his Newcastle show on June 16.

Foot, who stopped Jason Easton to win the rainbow belt back in March, was beaten by Leather in a clash for the vacant IBF European title at the Metro Radio Arena in the North East last November.

And it was thought that he would get to fight Leather again –– with the vacant British title also at stake –– on the date mentioned above.

But the undefeated Guisborough man, who is promoted by Hearn's British promotional rival Frank Warren, signed a deal to fight Ohara Davies at the O2 Arena in London on June 23, exclusively live on BoxNation and BT Sport, leaving 30-year-old Sunderland puncher Foot without a fight of a decent magnitude.

Fear not, though, as while Leather takes on WBA International 140-pound champion Davies, on the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders' WBO world middleweight title defence against Martin Murray, Foot has been awarded a spot on the Hearn-promoted card on the banks of the River Tyne.

Lewis Ritson, the Newcastle United-supporting British lightweight champion, is looking to make his third successful defence of the title against mandatory challenger Paul Hyland Jr. and WBA International welterweight champion Josh Kelly is looking to add the Commonwealth title to his quickly growing collection when he challenges Australia's Kris George.

Former British light-heavyweight champion Hosea Burton and former three-weight world champion Ricky Burns are back in action on the card in what are expected to be routine outings and Darlington’s Stuart Hall will challenge Gavin McDonnell for the WBC International title at super-bantamweight.

Arfan Iqbal will fight Simon Vallily in a rescheduled defence of his English cruiserweight title and South Shields’ Anthony Nelson will fight for the second time in seven weeks after a two-year layoff when he takes on former world title challenger Charlie Edwards for the vacant WBA Continental super-flyweight title.

Jake Haigh will come up against Adam Jones in a super-middleweight contest on the card and there is action for local talent Darren Reay as well as Lawrence Osueke and Chad Ellis.