Carl Frampton will fight unbeaten Mexican Raul Hirales at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham on May 26.

The pair will fight for the vacant IBF Inter Continental super-bantamweight title on the undercard of Carl Froch's world title clash with Lucien Bute.

It will be a tough test for the Commonwealth champion, with Hirales heading to the UK with a 16-0 record with eight knockouts and a draw.

Should he overcome Hirales, Frampton has a winter date with top European Kiko Martinez in Belfast lined up.

"You cannot get tougher than an unbeaten Mexican prospect, it's a great challenge and one Carl needs and is excited about," said Frampton's manager Barry McGuigan.

"Hirales has beaten three prospects already and has eight KOs on his record so we're up against it but it's a great opportunity for Carl on a huge global platform.

"We want to meet Kiko Martinez in Belfast in September and we're moving on from Scott Quigg and Rendall Munroe now as we're annoyed that they are fighting each other and not Carl."

Frampton's promoter Eddie Hearn added: "We wanted a big step up in class and we've got it. Hirales is a tough, unbeaten and highly rated Mexican and we hope he can provide a stern test for Carl.

"Victory here will set up a Kiko Martinez fight for September and from there we want to be in a position to challenge current IBF champion Jeffrey Mathebula for the title."

Tags: Carl Frampton