By Jake Donovan

Frankie Gavin and Leonard Bundu are locked, loaded and ready to wage war in their scheduled 12-round regional welterweight title fight Friday evening in Wolverhampton, England. 


The bout marks Bundu's sixth defense of the European (EBU) welterweight belt he acquired in 2011. The 39-year old has spent the majority of his career in Italy, but anxiously returns to England, where he was last seen knocking out Lee Purdy in the 12th round of their welterweight thriller last December.

Gavin (19-0, 12KOs) suffered a brief scare in his last fight, recovering from an early knockdown to score a unanimous decision over Sacky Shikukutu this past March in Newcastle, England. The 28-year old budding contender has been extended the distance in each of his last three contests.

The evening's co-feature pits Lucas Browne and Andriy Rudenko in a scheduled 12-round matchup of unbeaten heavyweights. 

Browne (20-0, 18KOs) tipped the scales at 263 lb., which is 10 lb. lighter than his last ring apeparance when he stopped Eric Martel in five rounds this past April. That bout also took place in the United Kingdom, as Browne splits his time between England and his native Australia, as he fights under Ricky Hatton's promotional banner. 

Rudenko (24-0, 16KOs) weighed a surprisingly low 234.75 lb, his lightest weight in six years as he ventures outside of his native Ukraine for the first time in his career. The 30-year old heavyweight has been inactive since last March, with injuries serving as the leading cause for his riding the pine, including a forced withdrawal from a scheduled bout with Dereck Chisora earlier this year.

Both bouts will air live on BoxNation in the U.K. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox