By Jake Donovan

As the 2016 season of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN is due to launch on June 4, details for the full card are starting to come together. The main event and co-feature are both confirmed, the latter having been announced on Tuesday as Bryant “GoodFella” Perrella and David Grayton square off in a matchup of unbeaten welterweight prospects.

The bout serves as the chief televised support, airing live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Headlining the show, locally adopted son Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9KOs) risks his unbeaten record and lofty light heavyweight ranking versus Argentina’s Ezequil Maderna.

Perrella and Grayton both put a lot on the line as well, colliding in battle that has become typical of the PBC series on various outlets as of late – undefeated mid-level prospects being matched tough in supporting bouts.

Both knew what they were getting into when signing with adviser and PBC founder Al Haymon, and both agreeing to terms the moment the fight was presented.

Grayton (14-0, 10KOs) was introduced to the PBC universe in his most recent win, a 2nd round knockout of Daniel Souza Santos, whom previously extended Fernando Guerrero seven rounds. The brief affair gained airtime via clips on the January 31 edition of PBC: The Next Round on Bounce TV, the first such time that the Washington, D.C.-based prospect has appeared on TV.

Perrella (13-0, 12KOs) will make his third consecutive televised appearance. The rangy southpaw from Ft. Myers, Florida has scored knockouts wins on Spike TV and FS1 in each of his past two ring appearances. The latter came in a 2nd round knockout of Ramon Ayala, although acknowledging that the upcoming ESPN-televised clash with Grayton is the toughest test of his young career – as well as that for his opponent.

“I know (Grayton is) undefeated and is coming to fight but this is a big step up for him,” notes Perrella, who previously worked with and has drawn strong reviews from top-shelf teacher Dan Birmingham, who presently trains unbeaten welterweight titlist Keith Thurman. “I expect him to try and drag me into a dog fight. Regardless of what he brings, I'm looking forward to come out on top with a great performance.”

Perrella’s time spent in the St. Pete Boxing Gym resulted in word of mouth getting to Haymon, who signed the camera-friendly Floridian in 2013. The southpaw more than held his own with Thurman, who is also signed with Haymon and tipped off his adviser to add him to the roster.

The former amateur standout – whose 70-9 mark includes a win over fellow rising prospect Regis Prograis and heartbreaking losses to Sammy Vasquez and Errol Spence in the 2012 Olympic Trials – has converted to a rangy power puncher in the pro ranks. He enters the June 4 clash riding a 10-fight knockout streak, having yet to be extended beyond round six.

The quick endings have prompted Perrella to seek bigger game. His team has responded, to which the welterweight promises to shine under the bright lights that come with fighting live in prime time.

“I've fought the better opposition and have been asking for harder fights,” Perrella insists. “I believe I'm an overall better fighter and on June 4 everybody will see that.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2